Corn as the Hero ingredient

Having been a caterer, I am always on the lookout for a seasonal vegetable which can sustain a small course and work with one or more of our wines.

Friends and I visited a wonderful Indian Restaurant last week called Nilgiris where corn was allowed to shine. Ajoy Joshi served us a small corn flatbread topped by spiced corn and it was just lovely. A few nights later on an episode of SBS TV’s India Unplated, the vegetarian Helly Raichura made a mildly spiced breakfast porridge of grated corn.

These recipes are mildly spiced to ensure the wines are not detrimentally affected.

You can dial the spices and chilli up a few notches to suit your palate but they may not make the wines taste at their best. (First world problem I know.)

Starters

Indian Spiced Corn

My understanding of Indian foods is limited to a few cookbooks of Madhur Jaffrey and our Australian Charmaine Solomon. So I have approximated through googling and hope I am not bastardising recipes within differing Indian regions. Apologies if I am.

Serve with Bloodwood 2019 Riesling or 2018 Schubert or 2017 Pinot Noir

Ingredients

• 4 corn cobs with husks (soaked in water)
  (use 500 g of corn for this recipe)

• 1T butter

• ½ t cumin powder

• ½ t Kashmiri red chilli powder

• ¾ t chaat masala (use garam masala if you don’t have chaat)

• 2 t lemon juice (softer Meyer lemon preferable) can substitute with amchur -dried mango powder for the souring agent

• 2 t salt (to taste)

Sprinkle with slivers of fresh coriander (optional)

Method

Preparing the corn from scratch.

Microwave the wet corn cobs on high for 8 minutes. Turn them over in the microwave half way. Once cooked allow them to cool. Cut the base and remove husks and silky threads. Use a clean tea towel to catch the corn kernels when you cut them close from their cob. Should yield 700 gms if you catch the residual corn and its milk left behind by scraping the knife down the cob after cutting.

Take 500 gm of the corn kernels and sautee in butter for 2 mins. (I put on the lid in case any of the corn popped.) Take off the heat and add spices, salt and pepper to taste, mix them through and serve warm. Garnish with slivers of coriander.

Shortcuts:- Just smear corn cooked on the cob with the spiced butter and enjoy with the Pinot Noir. Use frozen corn to save time on preparations.

Corn Paratha

Not your typical stuffed paratha, I have used pureed corn with some water to moisten the flour and serve the paratha as a base for the spiced corn topping.

Ingredients (Makes 32)

• 200g pureed corn

• 1 spring onion (finely chopped)

• 4 cups wholemeal flour

• 1 cup of warm water

• 2 t salt and pepper

• extra flour for dusting and avoiding the dough sticking.

• oil for frying- (I used peanut)

• butter (clarified if possible)for frying

Method

Mix all the ingredients and knead until the dough is smooth. Cut into small pieces by halving until you reach 32 pieces. Roll out each piece into a round (I’ve done mine very thinly so the flat bread cooks quickly and crisps.) Thinly cover your frying pan with oil and just before placing the flat bread to cook add the butter. In between cooking all the parathas you may need to clean out your pan and refresh the oil and butter.

Shortcuts:- Substitute pureed corn with polenta I guess. (You may have to add a bit more water if this is the case.)

Use poppadoms large or small or lentil crisps instead of making the bread

Mexican Corn and Avacado Salad

This is a traditional recipe but I leave out the tomatoes as they are a difficult match with wine. Lime juice is too but use a minimum so it is only just noticeable and it won’t spike the wines that much.

Serve with 2021 Big Men in Tights

Ingredients

• 500 gms corn

• 1 avocado (diced)

• ½ red capsicum (diced)

• 2 spring onions (finely chopped)

• 2T olive oil

• juice of ½ lime (scant)

• 2t cayenne pepper or chilli flakes

• 2t cumin powder

• salt and pepper to taste

• herbs to decorate (I prefer coriander but Stephen is allergic so you can get by with parsley, chives)

Method

Mix all ingredients and serve on tostadas. This makes a party serving.

Shortcuts:- Use frozen corn quickly blanched. Serve with tortillas or corn chips

Corn Highlights Over the Years

Chicken and corn soup at our Chinese restaurants in Townsville as a young’un was one of my favourites. The soup was thick with cornflour which enabled the ingredients to be suspended throughout. Corn relish dip was something I adored in the 70’s, a mix of cream cheese and corn relish. I thought I was so sophisticated then serving that- probably with Jatz. Corn chowder was one of my early cooking feats. From memory the recipe called for carnation milk, stock cubes and diced potatoes etc.

During my catering years I have made corn and fetta (and other cheeses) fritters, corn and smoked trout fritters, a personal favourite. (You have to duck quickly when the occasional corn kernel explodes in the hot oil.) And silky little corn and Parmesan custards in Chinese tea cups but do you think I can find the recipe? Even corn and cheese gougers and corn chowenmushi, again no recipe kept either.

That packet of frozen corn has saved me many times. I just adore a Thai style corn soup with chicken stock, fish sauce, coconut milk, lime juice and with half the corn pureed and half the packet left whole. Can also be made as vegetarian/vegan soup with soy rather than fish sauce. Best version of this was recent when I tried cooking a couple of chickens confit-style under masses of coconut cream for a dinner party. The chickens were overcooked and way too relaxed. Bit embarrassing really but the soup made the next day was delicious. It took ages to separate the flesh from the bones and discard the fat that solidified on top of the liquid in the fridge. But add some frozen corn to the mix and yum is all I can say because the chicken stock was superior.

Go to local restaurant Charred and try their corn course. It is sensational. I won’t give anything away here.

But simple also does it best. Get your hands dirty with corn on the cob, plenty of butter, salt pepper and some finely grated Parmesan. Better if you grow the corn yourself- you may not even need much butter!

Dessert

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

I have even eaten a sweet corn ice cream at Chin Chin in Melbourne a few years ago which tasted fantastic.

Chin Chin’s corn icecream.