Tuesday 20th August 2019.
Mazes of maize.
Anyone who knows me will know how much I loath and struggle in the heat of deep summer. Nearly all of my fondest memories from childhood stem from the cooler months. Whether it’s those long Autumn walks that I loved, crisp leaves crunching underfoot, or the sweet and sticky scents of bonfire night and the toasted marshmallows we so eagerly awaited every year. There are one or two moments in the British summertime that I look back on with a warm smile though. One of those is that of racing through a maze of (what seemed like enormous) sweetcorn plants at a local farm, desperately trying to beat my siblings to the exit to just once bask in that feeling of eternal glory and smugness. I never won. I was far too distracted by the crop that surrounded me. From the air, it must have looked much like the rest of the English countryside, a sea of vivid green. But I knew better. I stood in amongst this ocean and I knew that just beneath the green husks that adorned each plant, were cobs jam-packed with little golden nuggets of corn, all sat in lines as neat as the Queen’s guard outside her majesties home. Like many fussy eaters at a young age, trying to get me to eat any kind of fruit and veg must have felt like a constant losing battle for my poor mother. But I always liked sweetcorn. Kids will inevitably like and gravitate towards foods that are naturally sweet, so carrots, peas and corn are generally a good place to start. I know for certain that I wouldn’t have gone near this recipe with a barge pole as a young boy, with it’s Thai flavours and salty topping. But now, it’s a new favourite.
Ingredients: (serves 4, as a side)
- 4 cobs of sweetcorn
- 150g unsalted butter, softened
- 1 lime, zest only
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 80g feta cheese, crumbled
Method
1.If you're using whole cobs, peel back their husk and either discard or leave on for decoration. Be warned, they will burn, but I think this looks rather beautiful. Give the cobs a good wash, discarding any leftover stringy bits still attached.
2. Salt a large pan of boiling water and lower the corn in for 8 minutes (if you're leaving the leaves on, make sure they don't touch the water)
3. While the corn is cooking, make your flavoured butter. In a bowl, mix the softened butter with the lime, chilli, herbs, paprika and a generous twist of cracked black pepper. Put to one side.
4. Set your grill to medium-high, or alternatively you could barbecue cobs. If you're doing the latter, they will need to be wrapped tightly in foil before grilling.
5. Remove your sweetcorn from the pan and run under cold water. Pat dry with kitchen paper, then generously smother each cob with your flavoured butter.
6. Place under the grill for 5-8 minutes, turning often, until the kernels begin to blacken. Serve straight away with the crumbled feta and a little extra virgin olive oil, if you like. A gorgeous side to serve with roasted meat.
Top tip: Don't take your eyes off the corn once it goes under the grill. It will turn very quickly from vivid yellow to charcoal black if you're not careful.
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