The corn has arrived!
…creamy corn and orzo & a summer succotash
You know how sometimes the “official” first day of a season doesn’t exactly match up with how it feels? Well, last Friday marked the official first day of summer, and thus far we’ve had five heat alert days in a row, I’m fighting mosquitos the size of hummingbirds and using the cool setting on my hairdryer to dry the sweat from my scalp, and just standing too close to the window causes a sunburn. Yeah, I’m feeling it.
But the arrival of summer means the fresh corn is on it’s way, and ladies and gentlemen, the corn has arrived! So with open arms, I give a big welcome to summer - the good, the bad, and the corn!
Like peaches, summer corn is one of those things I’ll eat every bit of until by the end of the season, I just can’t do any more. Corn on the cob every week? Sounds great! Stirred into pasta or topping a salad? Yes please! Good ol’ Southern fried corn? My mother-in-law makes the best.
Let’s get into it, this week we are all about the corn!
Lately, we’ve been doing a fair amount of simple corn-on-the-cob. And ever since America’s Test Kitchen taught me to just drop the ears in boiling water, turn it off, and let it hang out for 10 minutes, I haven’t looked back. It comes out perfect every time giving crisp, yet tender kernels that aren’t chewy or shriveled. Add a compound butter, and now you’ve got a party! (Speaking of a party, when serving for a crowd or in a pot-luck type of situation, I like to cut the cobs in half and make them mini. Most people want to load their plates with a little bit of everything and a smaller corn cob is more manageable.) For the compound butter, soften a stick of butter and smoosh in some mix-ins - here are a few good ideas!
We’ve also had Mexican Street Corn on my mother-in-law’s flat top griddle twice already this summer. She’s been following this recipe from The Flat Top King, and we all give it two thumbs up. (We’re using fresh corn instead of frozen - highly recommend!)
And then I have two recipes for you this week! Down below you’ll find Creamy Corn and Orzo Pasta and a Summer Succotash.
The corn and orzo recipe is like a corn risotto, but we’re using orzo pasta instead of rice. Cooking it in a “corn broth” adds to the corn flavor, the cream and parmesan cheese make it smooth and rich, and the corn kernels are little pops of sweet, fresh corn heaven. Give me a bowl of this and a big spoon, and I’m a happy girl. Serve it as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish alongside a simple grilled chicken.
Succotash is one of those dishes I grew up eating. Of course, back then it was pretty much a frozen bag of corn and a frozen bag of lima beans mixed together, but I loved it, and still now, when I need a quick veggie for dinner, it’s a great choice. However, the version below glams it up a little bit, using fresh corn and tomatoes, with a hint of tarragon, and more than a hint of bacon. (Of course, you can leave the bacon out to make it vegetarian.) It’s the perfect summer side dish - summertime in a skillet.
A quick corn gadget note - many recipes, including both of these, require cutting the kernels off the cob. I’m not one for “one-use” kitchen gadgets, but I have a kernel stripping tool from pampered chef that I love. It looks like OXO has a similar one, but I haven’t tried it. Whether you’re using a tool or just a knife, remember to work over a big bowl or you’ll be chasing kernels all over. I might speak from experience.
I hope you’re enjoying your start to summer and looking forward to all the summer time foods like we are. What’s your favorite summer flavor?
Back here next week, just in time for the 4th of July!
MONDAY - Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice, Green Beans
This recipe is the one I usually use. I do thighs instead of breasts, let them simmer in the sauce, and then pull them apart so we can spoon the whole thing over some jasmine rice. And, excitement!, I got my first mess of green beans out of the garden! I think I’ll just blanch them and then do a quick sauté in butter.
TUESDAY - Pesto Chicken Lasagna
I’m playing around with an idea for lasagna with a shredded chicken, pesto, and sun-dried tomato filling and a white sauce all over. So it’s an experimentation night!
WEDNESDAY - Oven Pork BBQ, Ranch Fries
I’ll use the method from my slow roasted pork carnitas, but keep the seasonings simple, to get a tender, pulled pork that we can drench in homemade bbq sauce. Then, I saw someone on Instagram do frozen waffle fries, but drizzle them with melted butter and toss in ranch mix to make ranch fries - looked like it was worth a try!
THURSDAY - Taco…Thursday?
An easy ground beef taco mixture can be used for sheet pan crispy tacos or soft tacos. (Hot tip - my mom used to smash a can of red beans into the taco mixture to stretch it out a little bit!) Cool, crisp salad on the side.
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick Up!
SATURDAY - Dinner at Yaya’s (the in-laws)!
Cheese ravioli and marinara is super fast and easy! Bonus for not having to stand over the stove for very long right now. Garlic bread to swipe around the plate.
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s!
Whatever meat looks good at the store (maybe some nice thick pork chops) on the grill alongside balsamic marinated squash and zucchini. (I picked my first squash out of the garden, but we can supplement with the farmers’ market!)
LUNCHES for this week -
I’m going to keep it cool this week with a batch of curried chicken salad, either just on crackers or in lettuce wraps.
EXTRAS for this week
Good news, the cherry pie last week was a hit, so I’ll have it for you next week just in time for the 4th of July. This week I’m going to make a couple of breakfast meal prep things - breakfast sammies on bagel thins and high-protein sheet pan pancakes with blueberries.
Creamy Corn and Orzo Pasta
Makes 4-6 servings
· 4 ears Fresh Corn on the Cob
· 3 ½ cups Water
· 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
· 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
· 1 medium Shallot, small diced
· 1 ½ teaspoon kosher Salt, divided (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 1 ½ cups Orzo Pasta
· 1 cup Heavy Cream
· 1 cup grated Parmesan
· ¼ cup fresh minced Basil
Prep the corn – shuck and remove the silks from the corn, then use a knife (or other corn kernel removal gadget) to remove the kernels to a bowl. Use the back of a knife to scrape down the corn cobs to get any remaining pulp and “corn milk”. Set bowl of kernels aside.
In a medium saucepan, place the cobs with 3 ½ cups of water and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes then set aside.
For the Orzo – In a large, deep sided skillet or pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium high heat until butter is melted and starting to bubble. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Add the corn and all the juices from the bowl, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.
Stir the dry orzo into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes until it absorbs any liquid in the pan.
Carefully remove the corn cobs from the water in the saucepan, then pour the water into the corn. Add the heavy cream. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer. Cook at a low simmer (reducing heat as necessary) for 12-14 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Stir very frequently, as the orzo wants to stick to the bottom.
Remove from heat, stir in the parmesan and basil, and let the creamy orzo rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Summer Succotash
Makes about 6 servings
· ½ pound Bacon, chopped
· 1 medium Onion, diced
· 4-6 ears fresh Corn on the Cob
· 1 (12-15 ounce) bag frozen Baby Lima Beans
· 3 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and diced
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 1 cup water
· ½ teaspoon dried Tarragon
· 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Prep the corn – shuck and remove the silks from the corn, then use a knife (or other corn kernel removal gadget) to remove the kernels to a bowl. Use the back of a knife to scrape down the corn cobs to get any remaining pulp and “corn milk”. Set bowl of kernels aside.
For the succotash - In a large skillet with high sides, cook bacon over medium to medium-high heat until browned and crispy. Remove to drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the pan. Over medium heat, sauté the onion in the bacon grease for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through and translucent.
Add corn kernels and any extra juice and cook, stirring often for another 5 minutes.
Add frozen limas, diced tomato, salt, pepper, tarragon, and water. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Uncover, remove from heat, stir in butter and reserved bacon and serve!
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
(Don’t forget you can see all of the past newsletters and recipes at the archive link below!)
All recipes categorized by type can be found in the index!
I do love fresh TN corn! I'll try the Orzo recipe. Looks yummy.