Phyllis
Louise Harris
July
2016
One
summer afternoon when I was a teenager my dad took our family on a car trip in
the country west of the Twin Cities. About half way to our destination we
started following a Green Giant truck filled with just harvested sweet corn. The
huge mound of big, plump ears of corn in their bright green leafy husks jostled
as the truck rolled along and every time it hit a bump in the road a cob or two
of corn would fall off onto the road in front of us. My dad, being an old Iowa
farmer and former restaurant owner, could not pass up free food and would stop
to send one of us kids out to pick up the fallen corn. By the time we got to
our destination we had several dozen ears and they were the best tasting corn I
ever had! Or, so I remember.
Maybe
it is that memory that had made it so difficult to find corn as sweet and juicy
as those Green Giant castoffs. So when I buy fresh corn at the farmers’ market
and it turns out to be less than perfect, it is disappointing. Fortunately, I
found a wonderful vendor at the Northeast Farmers’ Market on University Avenue
in Minneapolis and have enjoyed sweet, tender homegrown corn for several
summers. Usually I just boil the shucked corn in water with a little milk and
sugar and eat it with nothing else. Why spoil perfection?! I make sure there
are leftovers that I put in a plastic bag and store in the freezer for mid-winter
dining.
Since
the corn harvest begins this month here’s a corn recipe from “Asian Flavors…Changing
the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875.” Its
flavors are from India but the corn is strictly Minnesota.
For
four ears of corn, remove the silk and husks from the corn, rinse and soak in
cold water for 20 minutes. Remove corn from water and dry off with paper
towels. Place the corn directly on a medium hot charcoal-grill about 4 inches
above the heat. Cook uncovered for 15 – 20 minutes turning occasionally until
the corn is tender and shows browned kernels among the gold.
Mix
together –
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted and ground
½
teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
½
teaspoon ground red pepper
2
tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
2
tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves.
Cut
a lime into 4 wedges and dip each wedge into the spice mixture then rub it over
each cooked ear of corn. Serve hot.
Check
the Minnesota Grown Directory www.minnesotagrown.com
for corn growers near you. There is nothing better than freshly picked sweet
and tender corn on the cob! Happy summer dining!!!
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Read more about Asian food in Minnesota and try more than 160 recipes in Asian Flavors: Changing the Tastes of Minnesota since 1875, in bookstores and on amazon.com.
Watch the EMMY® award winning “Asian Flavors” television show based on the book on tpt MN. Check local TV listings for broadcast times or view the show streaming online at:
http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/customPlaylist2.php?id=24552&select_index=0&popup=yes#0
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