Harvest time in the Midwest and the farmers’ markets are overflowing with locally grown vegetables – tomatoes, peppers and squash of all colors and sizes, eggplant – deep purple, lavender or white, long, oval or round, cucumbers, carrots, piles of chard, kale, mustard greens and herbs. But my eye is drawn to the mountains of sweet corn at 5 to a $1 or 12 for $2 — who can resist.
When the first corn shipments arrived in local markets in July, we rejoiced that finally the ten-month-long corn fast was over and we attacked fresh corn on the cob with a vengeance. We boiled and ate it slathered in butter or extra virgin olive oil and flavored with merely salt or chili powder; we soaked it unshucked in salted water and then grilled it; we roasted it. Each version of corn on the cob was delicious on its own.-
My eagerness for corn comes from living in Ukraine for over 20 years where much corn is grown, but none is super sweet like American corn and rarely eaten off the cob. In fact, I could not find fresh sweet corn anywhere in Europe where all locally grown corn sold at markets is barely sweet and starchy. When I first discovered the unavailability of truly edible sweet corn in Ukraine, I don’t understand why a country that is known for its fertile soil which grows about 23 million metric tons of corn (maize) annually, most of which is dried and processed into meal for the distilling and baking industries or fed to cattle, does not produce sweet corn that could be eaten fresh.
Thinking I could solve this agronomic failing, I brought bags of assorted American hybrid sweet corn seeds for my friends to plant in their dacha gardens the following spring. Everyone planted and said they enjoyed the sweet corn, but the expected transformation of the Ukrainian corn industry didn’t happen. There was no demand for more seeds. I attributed the absent interest in another sweet corn seed delivery to European fear of genetically modified plants and most American sweet corn falls into this category. I later learned from Harold McGee’s On Food and Cooking that the sweet corn Americans enjoy is actually immature corn, picked when the natural sugars are at their peak before they convert to starch. Most likely my Ukrainian friends waited until the American sweet corn yellowed on the stalk when it tasted like Ukrainian corn! Perhaps Ukrainian corn could taste sweet as well if picked when still green, not dried on the stalk. So each year when I returned to the states in the summer, I indulged in sweet corn in Chicago.
But this year we reached the corn saturation point. Initial eagerness to savor sweet corn on the cob is over and with each meal more and more corn is left uneaten. Thus, What to do with leftover corn on the cob? I recently added leftover roasted corn to a cornbread recipe with excellent results. This recipe contains no fat except what is found in milk and eggs and can be made without added corn and jalapeño. The cornbread is not very hot even with the jalapeño. See what you think.
Roasted Corn and Jalapeno Cornbread
1 cup cornmeal (170 grams) (I used a mixture of leftover cornmeal — coarsely ground, Quaker Oats and polenta – about ⅓ cup each.)
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 ear roasted corn kernels
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined (optional)
1 cup (285 grams) Greek yogurt (like Fage)
2 eggs
¾ cup (185 grams) milk
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir thoroughly with a whisk. Set aside.
Remove corn kernels from roasted corn on the cob with a sharp knife. Chop jalapeño pepper into small dice. Combine corn and pepper with 1 tablespoon of the flour mixture. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine yogurt, eggs and milk. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Then slowly add the dry ingredients, a half cup at a time, mixing well until no dry ingredients are visible. Stir in corn and pepper.
Pour dough into a prepared baking pan. Smooth top with offset spatula. Bake for 35-40 minutes until top is golden. Cornbread is ready when internal temperature reaches 200°F (94°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Cool for 30 minutes before cutting. Serve with soft, unsalted butter and your favorite store-bought or homemade pepper jam or jelly.
If you are adventuresome and want to try your hand at jam making, here is the recipe for the mixed pepper jam that I adapted from the Ball Blue Book, printed by the canning jar maker and authority on preserving food.
Mixed Pepper Jam
1½ lbs (680 grams) assorted red, orange or yellow peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (makes mildly spicy jam; add another teaspoon to increase heat)
3 tablespoons Sure-Jell (from a 1.75 oz box)
3 ¼ cups (618 grams) sugar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
¾ teaspoon salt
Canning equipment: 5 (8 oz; ½ pint) canning jars with screw bands and lids; an instant-read or candy thermometer; canning tongs.
Sterilize jars and lids: Examine tops and edges of jars for smoothness. Discard chipped jars.
Wash jars, lids and screw bands in hot, soapy water, then rinse well in hot water. Place jars in a deep pot fitted with a rack. Cover with water and boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Leave jars in hot water.
In a small saucepan, cover lids and bands with water. Bring to simmer temperature (180°F, 85°C). Remove from heat and leave in water until ready to seal jars.
Make jam: Pulse peppers with red-pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. (Mixture will yield about 2 ½ cups.)
Whisk together pectin and ¼ cup sugar in a small bowl.
Stir together pepper mixture, vinegar, salt, and remaining 3 cups sugar in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot. Bring to a vigorous boil over high heat, then continue to boil vigorously, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Gradually add pectin mixture, whisking constantly. Return jelly to a vigorous boil, stirring constantly, and boil, stirring constantly, 1 to 2 minutes (mixture will thicken slightly). Remove from heat.
Remove jars and lids from hot water with canning tongs. Drain jars upside down on a clean kitchen towel and quickly dry lids. Invert jars and immediately ladle hot jelly into jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. (Last jar may not be full.) Tap each jar firmly on a towel-covered cutting board to eliminate air bubbles. Wipe off rims of filled jars with a damp clean kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands.
Seal and process jars: Put sealed jars on rack in canner or large pot, adding enough hot water to cover by 2 inches. (A partially full jar should not be processed but closed and kept in a refrigerator for immediate use.)
Cover canning pot. Bring to a full boil and cook for 15 minutes. Transfer jars with canning tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Invert jars for a few seconds so hot jam can destroy microscopic mold or yeast that may have settled on the lid. Stand jar upright to cool. The lid will ping when it adheres and vacuum forms above the cooling jam. The jar is sealed when the lid becomes concave. The jam will thicken as it cools.
After jars have cooled, test for seal. Remove the band about ½ hour after canning, press center of each lid to check if it is concave, then remove the screw band and try to lift lid with your fingertips. If the lid does not pop off, the lid is not sealed. Replace the screw band. A jar that did not seal properly should be stored in the refrigerator and used first (along with the partially full jar).
Label with date made. Store in a dark cool place for up to 6 months.
The Ball Blue Book recommends making jams and jellies in individual batches as specified in the recipe, not doubled.
Photo credits: Slava Johnson