Aww Shucks: The A-Maize-ing World of Corn!

How much do you really know about corn? We all know it is delicious, has many uses, and fields of it can be seen in the rural communities around our stores. A sign of summer and of BBQs, corn on the cob is one of those vegetables that makes any meal more of an adventure.

Are you someone who eats a row across the cob, or do you spin and eat from one end to the other? Is there no rhyme or reason to how you eat the kernels off the cob? Do you prefer to cut the kernels off the cob completely before enjoying? Whichever way you eat it, corn is a great addition to any meal, especially a summer one!

A Kernel of History

Corn is cereal plant with an edible grain from the grass family. The domesticated crop originated in the Americas and is one of the most widely distributed of the world’s food crops. Corn is used as livestock feed, as human food, as biofuel, and as raw material in industry. First domesticated by native peoples in Mexico about 10,000 years ago, and since its introduction into Europe by Christopher Columbus and other explorers, corn has spread to all areas of the world suitable to its cultivation.

Varieties of yellow and white corn are the most popular as food, though there are varieties with red, blue, pink, and black kernels, often banded, spotted, or striped. Each ear is enclosed by modified leaves called shucks or husks. Commercial classifications, based mainly on kernel texture, include dent corn, flint corn, flour corn, sweet corn, and popcorn. Varieties suitable for consumption are sweet corn, flour corn, and popcorn. Sweet corn has wrinkled translucent seeds as the plant sugar is not converted to starch as in other types. Flour corn, composed largely of soft starch, has soft, mealy, easily ground kernels. And popcorn, an extreme type of flint corn characterized by small hard kernels, is devoid of soft starch, and heating causes the moisture in the cells to expand, making the kernels explode.

Nutritious and Not Just Delicious!

Corn is mainly composed of carbs and is fairly high in fiber. It also packs a decent amount of low-quality protein. A good source of many vitamins and minerals, popcorn tends to be higher in minerals like copper and manganese, while sweet corn tends to be higher in vitamins including folate and niacin. Corn provides higher amounts of antioxidants than many other cereal grains and is especially rich in eye-healthy carotenoids. As a good source of lutein and zeaxanthin, corn may help maintain your eye health. What’s more, it doesn’t promote diverticular disease (a condition characterized by pouches in the walls of your colon) as previously thought with studies indicating it may actually protect against it.

My Favourite Corn Recipes!

Grilled Mexican Street Corn

I love this recipe and if I see any food truck, or restaurant, or food vendor serving these, I order them every time, no matter what time of the year it is. It’s that good!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ears corn, shucked
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese, divided (you can use Feta in a pinch)
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ cup sour cream
• ½ cup cilantro leaves, minced, plus more for garnish
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• Lime wedges, for serving

DIRECTIONS

1. Light your grill so it’s nice and hot when you’re ready. On a sheet pan, toss the corn with the oil, then season with salt and pepper.
2. In a small bowl, stir together ⅔ cup of the cotija cheese with the mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, lime zest, and chile powder.
3. Place the corn on the hottest part of the grill and cook, turning as needed, until cooked through and charred, around 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Remove the corn from the grill and immediately brush each cob liberally with the cheese mixture and transfer to a platter. Garnish each cob with a sprinkle of the remaining ⅓ cup of cheese and more cilantro, then serve with lime wedges.
5. ENJOY!

Johnny Cake

I have no idea where this cake gets its name but it’s something my mother made for us all the time as we were growing up and served warm with some maple syrup drizzled over it. It’s one of those recipes that speaks of home to me.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 cups sifted flour
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 and ½ cup sweet milk (whole milk)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease an 8×8 baking pan or cast-iron skillet if you have one (I recommend the cast-iron skillet but either works)
2. Sift the yellow cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until incorporated.
3. While stirring, add the egg and milk. Mix until just combined (the batter will be lumpy).
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes or until done. Let cool slightly then cut into squares and serve. We liked ours with lots of butter and some maple syrup, but you can serve it as a side with ribs or chicken wings if that’s more your style.
5. Not that we ever had leftovers with 4 hungry kids who loved Johnny cake, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container.

We’d love to hear from you! What do you love about Corn? Do you have a recipe you love? Leave us a comment here or head over and join in the conversation on Facebook (don’t forget to give us a “like”) and Twitter.

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Let’s catch up soon,

Julie