I love summer. The days are longer, the weather is warmer and my favorite produce is at its peak. Farmers markets open for business and free fruit from family, friends and coworkers (with cherry, plum and lemon trees) abounds. Prices drop at the grocery store. Suddenly my biggest challenge when menu planning becomes not “What can I cook?” but “What should I cook?” because there are so many options.
White corn was on sale at Safeway last weekend – eight ears for $2 – so I picked up four not knowing what I’d do with them. They were too juicy and cheap to pass up. I ended up finding a recipe for polenta using, you guessed it, fresh corn. I didn’t even know such a thing existed.
This polenta is not only easy to make, requiring just a few ingredients, it’s also divine – like nothing I’ve tasted before. I’ve made some fairly decent versions using both coarse-ground polenta and cornmeal, but this porridge is superior in both flavor and texture. It’s sweet, refreshing and not at all gummy (as some polenta is apt to be).
You could top the polenta with a sunny-side up egg and grated cheese for a simple meal. Or you could pair it with sweet and sour eggplant caponata for a more complex lunch or dinner. Any extra caponata can be slathered on thick slices of no-knead beer bread, crackers or pita chips.
Recipes adapted from Food52 and Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast.
- 4 ears corn, husks and silk removed
- 1½ cups water
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup grated Gruyère
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons walnuts, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon dried chili flakes, to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 small eggplant, cut into ½" cubes
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup water
- Use a sharp knife to shave off kernels from corn cobs. Place kernels in a medium sauce pan and cover with water; simmer for 12 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove kernels from water and place in a food processor; reserve the cooking liquid. Process kernels to break as much of the kernel case as possible. Add some of the cooking liquid if the mixture becomes too dry to process.
- Return processed corn to the pan with the cooking liquid and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes or until mixture thickens to desired consistency.
- Fold in butter, Gruyère, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- In a large pot, warm olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, raisins, walnuts, garlic and chili flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 4-6 minutes.
- Add tomato paste, cocoa powder and sugar and stir to combine. Cook until tomato paste is fragrant, 2-3 minutes.
- Add eggplant, vinegar and water. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is tender and mixture is thick, 7-10 minutes. Season with salt. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold.
