My favorite food in the whole wide world is corn. Really. It’s great on the cob. Frozen (the Trader Joe’s organic frozen is amazing). Even canned. When I have it on the cob, I like it without salt or butter. Just the corn. And I try to eat only the local corn when it’s fresh. I’d rather skip it for the rest of the year than have less-than-great corn. Truly, I can think of no other foods that are worthy of my being this picky. Why? I really have no idea. Go figure. But this is why I’m now getting ready for winter: soups. They might be chowders. Or regular soups. Or chicken and corn soup. Or whatever I have hanging around the kitchen to go into the soup pot.
Umm, getting ready for winter? Absolutely. A number of years ago, I tripped over an idea that changed me and corn soups forever. When the corn is still fresh, boil (or steam) an extra six ears. Then take the kernels off the cobs. Then, take two quarts of chicken (or vegetable) stock, and simmer the cobs in the stock, covered, for 2 hours. Then, remove the cobs, and cool down the stock so you can freeze it. When you freeze it, store the stock in one pint (2 cups) containers.
Why do this? Because you’ve just created a stock that tastes like corn. When you have that hankering (Hankering? Is that still a word?) for a corn soup or chowder, you can make one that has a great corn taste in every bite, and not one with some kernels of corn floating around.
So make the stock soon, before the corn season is over. Then check back this fall, and I’ll post a corn soup recipe. Or two.
Really. Hurry up. The corn season is fading. Heavy sigh…
