More Corn..

Here is a new corn recipe I threw together the other night, that I will be for sure making over and over again.



Grilled Corn Relish

4 ears of Sweet Corn, on the cob
1 large Red Bell Pepper, cut in half, seeds removed
1 medium Red Onion, cut in half
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Brush corn, pepper and onion with olive oil, and then salt and pepper. Grill 7-10 minutes, until slightly charred.

Cut all corn off cob, chop red pepper and onion, and mix all together in a large bowl along with the chopped basil. Add more salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this immediately while still warm, at room temperature, or cold.

I had this for lunch the next day, cold, and it was absolutely delicious. I served it with a boneless pork loin chop, just grilled with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Corn Chowder, anyone?

With all the gorgeous local sweet corn available right now, how you can resist making an absolutely HUGE batch of corn chowder? Okay, reading the recipe, it didn't really dawn on me how large this recipe really was. I don't know how I missed it. I mean, seeing 12 CUPS of chicken stock didn't even tip me off. But, it was really, really delicious.



And, here are all my leftovers. All 5 quarts.



I have put it all in the freezer, and that way, I can enjoy a delish corn chowder when it isn't in season. Or, I will pawn some off on my family and friends to clear out my freezer a bit, hehe. Here is the recipe:

Cheddar Corn Chowder

8 ounces bacon, chopped
1/4 cup good olive oil
6 cups chopped yellow onions (4 large onions)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
12 cups chicken stock
6 cups medium-diced white boiling potatoes, unpeeled (2 pounds)
10 cups corn kernels, fresh (10 ears) or frozen (3 pounds)
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, cook the bacon and olive oil until the bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and reserve. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the fat, and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Drain. (If using frozen corn you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the half-and-half and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a garnish of bacon.

Well, I don't have much to say except I have finally been able to cook again, and I am so happy about it. I am still trying to organize my new kitchen, but it is coming along pretty well. Here are some pictures of the food I have made so far:

This is the first dinner I made at the house. I made a New York Strip steak for him, and a Ribeye for me, purchased at Trader Joe's.



along with Potato Fennel Gratin (my favorite)



I also made some pork chops with my homemade barbecue sauce, and tried out the Hobo Potatoes that I read about on Rosie's site. I addeed a little sliced fennel to mine, along with the onions and potatoes, and they were really good. Here is a picture of them cooking away on the grill:



Oh, and one last thing. I have discovered the best, and cleanest, way to cut corn off the cob. I read about it in Cook's Illustrated Magazine, and decided to try it when I needed to cut corn off of 12 ears on Sunday for a monster batch of corn chowder.



All you need to do is put a small bowl upside down inside a larger bowl, cut the bottom of the ear of corn off so it is level, stand it up on the bottom of the small bowl, and cut the kernels off as usual. The kernels (at least 95% of them) will fall into the larger bowl. I am telling you, it was awesome. We all know the annoyance of having corn fly all over the kitchen, and then randomly finding little kernels for months afterwards. Give it a try!