Ancho Cream Corn

Thinking back to when I use to cook from the books on my shelf, ideas from phone conversations with family members, and jotted down recipes as they were recited....verses now.... the internet, the blogs, the social media cooking websites and all the people I've "met" and learned from. It's pretty cool. My little cooking world has expanded. I've learned so much over the years. Not only about techniques but about flavors. What goes together, what doesn't, and what does but you'd think shouldn't. I've been exposed to so many new ingredients that I would never have touched or knew what on earth to do with if it weren't for our fun little food world on the net.

And yes....ancho chile is one of them. I'm in love with the ancho chile. Which happens to be the dried version of a poblano (my other love). The addition of either of these forms of chile add such depth to Mexican dishes (or Tex-Mex in this case). It transforms a dish from (lets see...how do I say this without insulting anyone) Americanized taco bell kind of Mexican food to authentic mom and pop hole in the wall Mexican food.

Which brings me to this Ancho Cream Corn. One of many fantastic recipes found in Lisa Fain's cookbook, The Homesick Texan. I love cream corn. I love corn casserole. I love grilled corn. Corn is good. Ancho Cream Corn is better! The ancho chile addition....WOW!! It adds a wonderful smokey flavor that I just can't get enough of. It's not hot...so you other wimps out there (I say "other" because when it comes to heat...I'm a total wimp!) don't have anything to worry about. The ancho flavor just mixes itself into the cream and makes you go "mmmmmm" with every bite as you're digging your spoon in for another.

While this dish only takes a mere 15 minutes to cook....there is some prep work to be done. Not hard work. But rehydrating a dried chile takes some time....about 30 minutes.....soooo, keep this in mind when planning your cooking time line.

Ancho Cream Corn
Printable Version

1 dried ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 cuz I love garlic)
5 cups of corn, fresh or frozen (It took 7 ears of shucked fresh corn for me to get 5 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 - 2 limes, depending on how juicy they are)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cotija cheese, crumbled, to garnish (I used queso fresco ranchero cheese)

In a hot skillet, no oil....toast the ancho chile for about 10 seconds. Add enough water to cover the chili and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off and let "soak" for about 30 minutes. By this time, the chili should be soft. Rinse the chili and dice. Set aside. (toss the soaking water out)

While the chile is soaking, if you're using fresh corn, this would be a good time to shuck it and cut all those kernels off the cob.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the corn, heavy cream, cream cheese, cumin, cayenne and diced ancho chile. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cheese.

And there you have it. a delicious side dish that's easy and quick (after the prep work). You can bet that this dish will be seen this summer on my bbq menu.

The Simplest Creamed Corn You Just Might Ever Make

Creamed corn. What does this mean to you?

Is the corn made with cream?

Or do you cream the corn?

When I called my grandmother to ask her how she makes it I was surprised that there was no cream in her recipe at all.

So what makes it so creamy? Corn juices!!! (and butter....love me some butter)

This is such a simple recipe and tastes great. The most time consuming part is cutting the corn off the cob without taking too much off initially. But you know what? It's really worth it. I don't think I've ever bought frozen or canned creamed corn.

Ya I know it's not corn season in the U.S. But if you have a hankering for it or can't have a particular dish without it, you just might be able to find it in your market. It won't be as juicy as your summer corn but it works. This particular time, I needed it. I can't have black-eyed peas, fried chicken and fried okra without creamed corn. So I suffered through the slightly dryer winter-available corn.

I got 4 ears. Husked and washed em and tried my best to get all the silk off. Does anyone have a good way to easily clean corn?

Then I cut the corn off the cob but just touching the edges of the corn...I don't go all the way to the husk.

If this had been a summer corn on the cob...their would be juice all over the place.

Then I stand the cob on end and run the knife up and down and all around the cob. Turn it over and stand on the other end and do it again...getting as much of those juices out

Ya...these pour pitiful winter cobs are just not giving it up. But thats ok....it's better than nothing

Put it all in a pan, add a bit of sugar..maybe a teaspoon or so.  Then add about 1 tablespoon of butter or so, per ear (sometimes I even add a little garlic....YUM!)

I wait until after it's cooked before adding salt or pepper. (salt makes corn tough when cooked with it) Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If needed...get out your tater masher

Look...it's creamy. And no cream was added. Just corn and corn juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you remember my New Years meal....this dish was part of it :)

Salubrious Sunday of a Different Color - Lucky #7

Do any of you wives (or girlfriends) know what happens when the other half goes shopping with you? Not only do you have to "speed things up", but your cart fills up a lot faster and your receipt is a lot longer and your bill a lot higher.

Lately my husband, lets call him...I dunno....Sir Sportsalot due to his unending knowledge and interest in sports. Well lately Sir Sportsalot has been talking to his co-workers about grilling ideas, seasoning, and technique. I should've known something was up when he wanted to go grocery shopping with me on Saturday.

He had a plan that I was not aware of...yet.

Sir Sportsalot wanted to grill chicken on Sunday and was really excited about using this highly recommended Pollo Seasoning. (I don't have as much faith in his co-workers as he does). Of course I had other ideas for Sunday dinner and wanted to stick to my Salubrious theme and I almost protested. A LOT! Especially after finding out that MSG was the 3rd....yes THIRD ingredient in the coveted seasoning.

But...I shut my mouth (he tossed the seasoning in the cart) and thought about it for a while (a very rare occurrence, let me assure you). I did tell him about the MSG and a few of the awful things about it once we got home. And left it alone again before things heated up. Don't worry gals, I'm not trying to start a new trend here...we're all safe and can continue educating our men in the ways of life and all things important to us. I seriously doubt this will become a habit of mine. The only time my mouth is ever shut is when I'm sleeping (I think).

What I did do was decide that I'd let Sir Sportsalot make his chicken how he wanted. I didn't want to discourage him from helping with the meals and squish his newly budding interest and crumb too much on his co-workers.

And because of that, this week the intended meaning of Salubrious Sunday took a slight twist....I opted for a healthy home life rather than exerting my rights as the mom and head of the kitchen and getting my way. Even though the meal contained some MSG, and a bit more butter than usual....it was excellent and everyone enjoyed it. No stress, no worries.

Salubriousness was achieved.

We had:

Chicken Quesadillas

Green Chili Cream Corn

Sliced avocado and tomato garnished with queso fresco

We started off with 2 chicken breasts that I butterflied for quick and even cooking. Sir Sportsalot sprinkled the MSG ridden...errr, I mean Pollo Seasoning liberally on both sides of the chicken

While the coals were heating and he was grilling I cut the corn off the cob.....

I didn't cut all the way to the cob. I left a lot of the corn on there so I could then scrape the cob with my knife...

thus extracting all that milky corn juiciness which makes cream corn what it is. Nope, I have never added cream or milk to my cream corn. This is how my grandmother makes it in the south and I figure she knows best.

Just know in advance that it makes a bit of a mess.....corn stuff gets splattered everywhere. Its worth it though, so its all good, right?

For every ear of corn you "cream", melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add the corn and a bit of sugar (teaspoon maybe?)

I like to add a little minced garlic to my corn. And if its a little chunkier than you prefer....dont hesitate to grab that potato masher and smooth it out a little.

Cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes

Cream corn didn't really seem to go with the theme of our dinner so I grabbed a small can of diced green peppers and threw those in. So glad I did. It really helped to bring it all together.

I then sauteed some red onions and mushrooms

Got out my favorite tortillas and prepared the avocado and cheeses

And tomatoes (I'll have you know that the sliced tomato came fresh from my neighbors garden

Sir Sportsalot brought in his pride and joy....

At this point I don't know what happened. I think his buddy came over, we all got distracted and I just did the rest of dinner without my camera.....what was I thinking??

I spose I'll just have to tell you about it. I took a tortilla, sprinkled cheese on one half. Sliced the chicken and put some over the cheese, then added the mushrooms and onions and more cheese...folded.....grilled! The best quesadilla ever!

A little green chili cream corn on the side with a couple slices of tomatoes and avocado with some queso fresco sprinkled on top....heaven!!