I’m in love: I’ve got sweet corn and chilies growing in my garden. Wow! Pair these two up with cheese, butter or cream, and it’s rich, deep, fulfilling and passionate. Corn season runs from late July through late September. When the cobs are firm and full, I head for the garden with a basket. First I eat an ear or two right there, tossing the cobs aside. Then I feel through the firm husks for the plumpest, fullest kernels. Crack, crunch, I twist them off the plants and head over to the pepper plants. Sweets, hots, greens, red, rounds, skinnies, smooth, wrinkles, I stalk them. My fingers grope the dark foliage for the firmest fruits. With a quick snap, they are mine and I toss them into the basket.
Corn and chilies are great alone. You could just eat them chopped up together as a salad with a bit of salt. But marry them with the dreamy, nutty saltiness of cheese, butter or Mexican crema and you have a love affair.
(From the Mayan nahuatl, “toasted corn”)
You need: Corn, chiles, butter, olive oil, a lime, grated Romano cheese, salt. Shuck (peel off the green wrappers) six ears of corn, then slice the kernels off. That will give you about 5 cups of corn. Using a sharp knife with a wide, flat blade, cut the tip square, stand it up, and make smooth cuts down the cob, zipping off the kernels. Take one or two medium-hot large chiles and mince very finely. The heat resides in the seeds and membranes, so if you want a milder flavor, cut those out. If your chilies are picoso (hot), you might want to wear gloves. Chiles will burn through your skin, and affect anything you touch, so don’t wipe your eyes.
Melt a chunk of butter in a heavy skillet. Let it sizzle. Throw in the corn and chiles and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cover and cook over medium flame, tossing occasionally, until the corn is lightly browned. Sprinkle with lime juice and freshly grated cheese, or drizzle with the Mexican version of cream cheese, crema. Amazing!
You need: Corn, flour, large peppers or chiles, butter, milk.
First take two large sweet or hot peppers and roast them whole over an open flame on your gas stove or grill. Use a pair of tongs if you have them, and turn often. When they are browned and blistered all over, pull them from the fire and cover with a kitchen towel to cool for 15 minutes. Then cut the peppers in half. Pull off the stems and remove the seeds. Scrape off the skin with a table knife. Cut the flesh into little bits. Do not rub your eyes with chile fingers, and wash your hands really well. Now cut the kernels off six ears of corn (or use five cups of frozen corn). Throw these in a blender with a heaping tablespoon of flour. Buzz until smooth. Pour this into a saucepan and add a nice chunk of butter. Heat to a simmer, stirring constantly. Stir in the roasted chiles. Ecstasy!
You need: Butter, onion, garlic, corn, salt, large chilis, cheese, Mexican crema.
Cut the kernels off six ears of corn (about five cups). Fire-roast six medium to large chiles or peppers as described above, then cut them into wide strips. Coarsely grate ½ pound of really good nutty cheddar, Muenster, or jack cheese. Melt a nugget of butter in your heavy skillet and fry the onion and garlic, gently. Add the corn and cook till kernels are tender. Set aside to cool, and preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a casserole pan and lay in half the peppers. Top with the corn and half the cheese. Cover with the rest of the peppers, a cup of Mexican crema and the rest of the cheese. Bake till heated and melted through, about 20 minutes. Orgasmic!
Maybe you don’t have a loving partner who plants you a passionate garden of chiles and corn. (If you cook up these recipes and share the results, you might find one.) Thankfully there are devoted growers around Prescott who sell them, but don’t delay. This is the season and in a brief month or two the gardens will be withered by the first frosts and the love affair will be over till next year.
Crema: Mexican sour cream, available in all markets, is mild and nutty.
Chiles and peppers: There are dozens of chile varieties, and all come from the same ancestral plant. They can be interchanged. Pick the heat level you like, and blend to taste.
Butter: I love Strauss Creamery organic butter from grass-fed dairy cows. Extra-virgin olive oil substitutes well.
Corn and chiles: Find them at Prescott Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
Chef Molly Beverly is Prescott's leading creative food activist and teacher. Photos by Gary Beverly.
