Sweetcorn is saturated with nostalgia and the bittersweet style of summer season coming to an finish. It has a brief season and, when it’s freshly picked, it’s so candy that you may chomp it proper off the cob. I reserve some to eat straight from the grill slathered with butter, then dabbed with a wedge of lime rolled in chilli powder to recreate a favorite Kenyan avenue meals snack from my childhood. I discover the mix of sizzling chilli with naturally candy corn an irresistible one, so each of immediately’s recipes have a jolt of one thing fiery.
Charred sweetcorn, prawn and inexperienced chilli spaghetti (pictured high)
Inexperienced chilli provides important warmth to the candy prawns and corn – I like to make use of jalapeños right here for his or her aromatic warmth. Maintain the seeds in if you’re a warmth seeker.
Prep 10 min
Prepare dinner 30 min
Serves 4
3 corn on the cob
1 tbsp salt
400g spaghetti
100ml olive oil
8 garlic cloves, peeled and really finely sliced
2 inexperienced chillies, resembling jalapeño or hen’s eye, finely sliced
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
400g uncooked tiger prawns
Black pepper
Warmth up a griddle or chargrill pan, then grill the corn for about 10 minutes, till charred throughout. Slice the kernels off the cobs with a pointy knife and reserve the cobs.
Put a big saucepan of water on to boil for the pasta and add a tablespoon of salt and the reserved cobs – they’ll add flavour to the pasta. Boil the pasta for eight to 10 minutes, or in accordance with the packet directions, then drain, reserving a little bit of the cooking water and discarding the cobs.
In the meantime, pour the olive oil right into a frying pan and put it on a low warmth. Add the garlic, chilli and lemon zest, and go away to softly infuse for a few minutes. Add the prawns, flip up the warmth and cook dinner for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the drained spaghetti, corn and a splash of pasta water, and toss vigorously. Season with salt and pepper, if required, and serve directly.
Sweetcorn, gochujang and cheddar croquetas
Croquetas are mainly deep-fried balls of bechamel and my undisputed favorite snack in tapas bars. These ones have a dreamy, creamy, luscious centre that’s wealthy with sharp cheddar, nuggets of corn and a feisty kick of gochujang.
Prep 10 min
Chill 3 hr
Prepare dinner 40 min
Freeze 1 hr
Makes 12
For filling
75g unsalted butter
100g plain flour
1-2 heaped tbsp gochujang (relying on how spicy you need it)
400ml sizzling milk
150g extra-mature cheddar, grated
2 corn on the cobs, or 250g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted
5 spring onions, finely chopped, greens and all
Sea salt and pepper
For coating
3 tbsp flour
2 eggs
125g panko breadcrumbs
Groundnut oil, for deep-frying
In a medium pan, soften the butter on a medium warmth, then add the flour and cook dinner, stirring, for 3 minutes, till sandy. Whisk within the gochujang, cook dinner for 30 seconds, then progressively whisk within the milk to make a thick white sauce. Bubble for a minute, stirring continually, then take off the warmth and fold within the cheese, sweetcorn and spring onions. Season with sea salt and pepper, go away to chill to room temperature, then cowl and chill for about two hours, till agency.
Utilizing moist palms, form the agency combine into 3cm balls and placed on a lined baking sheet. Freeze for an hour.
Put the flour for the coating in a shallow bowl, the panko breadcrumbs in a second bowl one, and beat the eggs in a 3rd. Fastidiously roll every ball in flour, then in crushed egg after which within the breadcrumbs.
Half-fill a pan with oil, then warmth to 180C, or till a dice of bread turns golden brown in 20 seconds. Fry the croquetas in batches for 2 minutes every, till golden brown, then drain on kitchen paper; be certain that the oil comes again as much as temperature between batches. Serve instantly.
Creamed corn cacio e pepe with toasted corn and pickled chillies
This borrows from the comforting, sensory pleasures of pasta cacio e pepe and is assertive with black pepper and pecorino. The toasted corn brings a smokiness and the pickled chillies add warmth to an in any other case mellow dish.
Prep 10 min
Steep 15 min
Prepare dinner 1 hr 10 min
Serves 2-4
For the pickled chillies
60ml white-wine vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
50g lengthy crimson chillies, thinly sliced on the diagonal
For the creamed corn
6 corn cobs
50g butter, plus further for brushing
2 banana shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 heaped tsp dried oregano
Sea salt
1 tsp peppercorns, coarsely floor
100g pecorino romano, finely grated, plus further to serve
Zest of 1 lemon
To make the pickled chillies, mix the vinegar, sugar, salt and 60ml water in a small pan and produce to a boil. Add the sliced chilli, take off the warmth and go away to sit down and funky for quarter-hour.
Slice the kernels off 4 of the corn cobs. Warmth the butter in a saucepan over a low warmth, add the shallots, garlic and oregano, and saute for about 10 minutes, till gentle and translucent. Add the shucked corn and 500ml water, and produce to a boil. Flip down the warmth to low, cowl and cook dinner, stirring sometimes, for 40 minutes, till a lot of the liquid has evaporated.
In the meantime, warmth a grill or barbecue to excessive and grill the remaining two corn cobs, turning them sometimes, till charred throughout. Brush with butter and season with sea salt. As soon as cool sufficient to deal with, slice the kernels off the charred corn in slabs.
Put the cooked corn and shallot combine in a meals processor, blitz clean, then stir within the pepper and pecorino. Unfold the puree over 4 plates or shallow bowls, high with the charred corn, further pecorino, some lemon zest and the pickled chillies, and serve.
