Friday, August 10, 2012
Back to Corn with a Bam
See what happens when you don’t write for a few days? Not only do I get antsy and miss communicating with all of you, but my stats plummet as no one reads my blog. Sigh. Pesky day job keeps getting in the way of my dreams, which is to share my love of cooking and nutrition with you as much as possible, in as many ways as possible.
That said, I do love being a scientist, and in fact I was in upstate New York this week at a conference where one of the issues we discussed was communicating science – something I’m quite passionate about indeed and do regularly on this blog. More to say on that soon, but at present I simply must conclude my riveting two part series on grilled corn. Why today, you ask? Because weekends are for grilling, August is for sweet summer corn, and this recipe is another creative way to enjoy this fabulous vegetable-cum-grain.
And because, dude, this recipe is, like, totally, totally awesome. (Said in the voice of a teenage girl.)
Grilled Corn Gets Crazy
So, where was I? Ah, yes. Earlier this week I covered the basics of how-to grill corn, and that’s the starting point for this recipe, obviously. But, actually, the idea for this post flowed logically from a few themes I’ve explored on my blog of late. I recently gave you my luscious recipe for a raspberry gimlet inspired by Tremont 647, and the week prior I dedicated a post to grilled vegetables and various things you can do with them, including a Mediterranean sandwich with pesto and two cheeses and grilled parm. And then last week I posted my recipe for summer sangria with stone fruit and berries at the behest of one of my readers.
So today’s post on Spanish grilled corn is just about perfect, I’d say, to bring together all three themes—grilling, restaurants, and Spanish delights—in one delectable dish. That’s because this recipe was inspired by one of the most popular dishes at Toro, one of Boston’s top Spanish tapas bars (picture below). I was also lucky enough to catch a version at Whole Foods, too, where it was being grilled outside the store one day.
Spanish Grilled Corn
Start by grilling corn, as described here. Have ready your sriracha butter (Whole Foods version) or an aioli of choice (Toro version, left). For sriracha butter (how much heat can you take?), simply soften or melt the butter and add some sriracha (Asian chili sauce) and mix together to taste; here’s another post where I use garlic aioli. (The difference: sriracha butter adds a spicy kick, whereas garlic aioli is just plain yum.) All you do is slather the corn with the sauce of choice—yes, I did just say slather: this not-your-everyday-corn is a special occasion summer treat—and then top with aged cheese; I used cotija.
Do we need a bigger picture of the finished dish to truly appreciate how outrageous this corn is? Yes, I think we do.
So pick up some local corn this weekend, get your grill fired up, and grab a whole bunch of napkins. (Is it time to switch to cloth napkins to reduce your paper consumption and green up your diet?) Make this recipe and worry not at all about your greasy chin and the corn kernels and cheese crumbles all over your face. That’s part of the fun of eating this dish, and if people are willing to eat it at one of Boston’s hippest tapas bars and trendiest restaurants—and that they do, in droves—then certainly you can try it out in the privacy of your home.
Take a bite, and relish the huge corn-eating grin that appears on your face.
