Toasted Corn Risotto

It’s Sunday night with pouring rain, chirping crickets and I’m back on the blog again. I admit I’ve been a little (well maybe more than a little) slack on keeping up with my blogging responsibilities. I definitely feel the pressure to post, especially after being bailed out last week by a guest writer. Given the size of my backlog of recipes and pictures, lack f materials is no excuse. It just a matter of discipline. Well, here’s a recipe that should make up for my slackness. Toasted Corn Risotto. It’s my own recipe so you can only get it here! It’s sweet, rich, satisfying and can be vegetarian, or be match with anything from fish to grilled steak. Better yet, it’s prime corn season.

Ingredients

• 4 ears of farm fresh corn



• 2 tablespoons of butter



• 2 tablespoons of butter


• 1 tablespoon olive oil


• 1/3 cup finely chopped onion (preferably a sweet variety such as a Vidalia)


• 1 garlic clove, finely minced


• 3 tablespoons of finely chopped celery




• 5 cups of stock, preferable homemade (I used chicken, but a vegetable or corn cob stock would work equally well)


• 1 ½ cups of Arborio or Carnoli rice



• ½ cup heavy cream


• ¼ cup grated parmesan


• Salt and pepper

Method
Prepare the corn by peeling and cutting the kernels off the cobs using a sharp knife. I like to cut them in a large metal bowl to keep corn kernels from flying everywhere. You can keep the cobs (and freeze them if necessary) to make a really great corn cob stock (which incidentally, would be perfect as the stock base for this recipe). Split the corn kernels into two batches of about 1/3 and 2/3rds. Put the smaller batch in a food processor and puree. It will look a lot like scrambled eggs! Set aside for the moment.

Heat a sauté pan with the first batch of butter. Add the larger batch of corn and cook on moderate to low heat, tossing regularly until nicely toasted. Season with salt and pepper to taste set aside.

Heat the stock in a separate pot, and keep at a low simmer.

Begin the risotto by heating the second batch of butter and oil a decent-sized sauce pan. Add the onions, garlic and celery, and sauté over low heat until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the pureed corned and cook for another minute or two. Add the rice and toss until nicely coated. Mixing with a wooden spoon, add a ½ cup of heated stock. Stir over low to moderate heat until the stock is almost completely absorbed. Repeat with additional ½ cup portions of stock. Stir regularly to prevent sticking. The trick is to adjust the heat to ensure the rice doesn’t cook too fast or too slow. It should take about 18 minutes to absorb almost the entire 5 cups of liquid. Save about ¼ cup for the end. The rice should be tender but still firm (al dente) at the end. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

About 5 minutes before the rice is ready, re-heat the toasted corn. Add the heavy cream, heat through and season to taste. Remember that Parmesan cheese is salty, so it is better to go a little light and add more salt later if necessary.

When the rice is ready, add the remaining stock, the toasted corn mixture and the parmesan cheese. Toss well and serve immediately.

To serve
We had it with grilled, marinated shrimp (as shown) and followed with grilled stripped bass. Both worked extremely well with the risotto. For a wine, choose a really good, oaky, chardonnay. We had a 2002 Kistler, Vine Hill Vineyard, but any high end, barrel fermented chardonnay should work fantastically. The sweetness of the corn mixed with the pan toasting emphasizes the toasty oak barrel flavors of the chardonnay while boosting the fruit flavors. It is a match made in wine heaven!

Simply Succotash.

Thank you to Ian. After weeks of wheedling, he has agreed to allow his first guest writer – ME! (Anne)

When August arrives, and local corn is as plentiful as mosquitoes, you know the time has come for succotash. Besides being an odd word, succotash is a tasty, immensely satisfying dish. Courtesy of the Aztecs and Native Americans, succotash features corn, typically paired with beans – lima beans, green beans or, my favorite, sugar snap peas (bean-like but certainly not lima beans!).

This version of succotash is perfect for an elegant dinner party, or a quick, mid-week meal with the family. It is easy to make, but tastes so good that you’d swear it must have taken hours!

To give this succotash context, today was one of those brilliant mid-to-late summer days – cool, sunny and just on this side of crisp. The ideal day to head to the coast. We started out in Gloucester at Café Sicilia, our favorite place for a great cup of cappuccino and an Italian pastry. This morning, Paul (owner, baker and quite a character) informed us that we would be having Italian croissants for breakfast. Who were we to argue? (He is one big guy! And the croissants were magnificent…) Besides, at 10:30 am we were able to score a couple of delicious loaves of semolina bread straight out of the oven! Fortified with carbohydrates, we ambled along Eastern Point admiring the mansions and speculating which ones we would be able to live in. The ocean glittered. The roses smelled great. Life was good.

Back to the succotash… This version appeared in the Boston Globe Magazine in 2001. To complement the rich scallops and butter, Ian reached way back into the wine cellar to retrieve a 2004 Kistler, Sonoma Coast, Les Noisetiers chardonnay (from our friends Kurt and Sabrina at Beverly Wine and Beer). This wine is outstanding, not at all like the over-oaked, overly sweet chardonnays that California is producing nowadays. It paired wonderfully with the meal, making the succotash sing!

Corn, Zucchini and Sugar Snap Pea Succotash with Seared Scallops

• 4 TBSP butter


• 4 small zucchini, quartered and thinly sliced


• 4 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed from cobs


• ½ lb. sugar snap peas, cut diagonally in thirds


• 3 TBSP chopped fresh thyme


• Salt and pepper to taste


• 1 ½ lbs sea scallops, muscle flap removed


• ½ cup heavy cream


• Extra thyme (for garnish)

In a skillet, melt two tablespoons of the butter and cook the zucchini, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the zucchini begins to soften and turn brown at the edges.

Add the corn and sugar snap peas. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or just until they are very hot and the sugar snap peas are still quite green and crisp. Season with thyme, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a heavy-based skillet, heat the remaining butter and add the scallops. Sear the scallops on both sides over medium-high heat, for 1 to 2 minutes on a side, or until they are golden brown and cooked through.

Stir the cream into the corn mixture and heat the mixture just until it is very hot. Taste the mixture for seasoning and add more salt or pepper if you like.

Spoon the succotash onto each of 4 dinner plates. Garnish the succotash with scallops and thyme and serve at once.

Serves 4.

The succotash turned out great. It was bittersweet, however, to read my notes scribbled on the recipe. We had last made this dish on 9/11/01.