Creamed Corn
Southwestern Creamed Corn
This is my last new vegetable recipe post for the year as I will start trying out a new soup recipe each week during the Fall. Â Please let me know in the comments if you have any any favorite soup recipes I should try because I am looking for ideas! Â For my last foray into new vegetable territory, I decided on a recipe so decadent that I’m not sure it should even qualify as a vegetable dish: Â Creamed Corn! Â I have previously only eaten creamed corn from a can and I was less than impressed. Â Canned creamed corn is mushy, bland and yet somehow also overly sweet but I had seen a few recipes for homemade creamed corn lately and was intrigued. Â Creamed corn has two major points in it’s favor: Â 1. Â There is no need to boil a huge pot of water in order to cook a few corn cobs, and 2. Â It is a form of corn that is easy for my toddler to eat and appealing to her. Â Also, it would be a great way to use up some extra ears of corn if you have some left over. Â In my favorite vegetable cookbook, New Flavors for Vegetables, there was a recipe for creamed corn that used chipotle chiles in adobo sauce. Â This sounded delicious, but I knew it would be too spicy for my daughter. Â I decided to try and make a version of this recipe that still had the smoky richness of chiles but toned down the spiciness.
Southwestern Creamed Corn
If you want a spicier version of this recipe, it would be easy to add some heat with a few dashes of tabasco, extra chili powder, or a hotter chili powder like chipotle. Â I also thought of adding 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper or jalapeno along with the onion and I still think that would be delicious. Â Maybe next time!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn, shucked and cleaned of all silk
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup half and half
1. Â Cut the kernels off the corn cobs by standing the cob on a plate and cutting from the top to the bottom with a sharp knife.
2. Â Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Â Add the onion to the melted butter and cook until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Â Add the corn, chili powder, oregano, salt and pepper to the pan, stirring well to combine. Â Pour the water into the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Â Cover the skillet and cook for 10 minutes or until the corn is tender.
3. Â Remove the lid from the pan and return the heat under the skillet to medium. Â Let the corn cook until most of the water has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Â Pour the half-and-half into the skillet and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the half-and-half has thickened, about 3 minutes. Â Serve warm.
My daughter trying to eat the raw corn straight off the cob, she loves corn!
We had this creamed corn with some ribs and baked potatoes for Labor Day and it was much better than my memories of the canned variety.  Let me know what you think and please send me  your soup recipes, either in the comments or e-mail me at katie@cookitfresh.com.  Happy Labor Day!
Katie I was wondering did you lose a lot of the juiciness of the corn by cutting it off the cob before cooking? I had read that cooking the corn on the cob before cutting the kernels off for recipes “sets” the juice into the kernels. Just curious. I love corn in almost any recipe. I think we are going to Lancaster, PA tomorrow. Maybe I can pick up some corn and make your yummy recipe tomorrow! I’m salivating just thinking about it.
The corn still seemed very tender and juicy to me. I think it really helped to cook it in a little water before adding the cream. Let me know how it turns out for you and if you think the corn seems dry or not.
I love corn — even the canned creamed corn! But this sounds much better than the canned stuff. Being the lazy cook that I often am, I wonder: do you know if this will work as well with frozen corn kernels?
I was also wondering if frozen corn would work in this recipe so that I could make it when corn isn’t in season. My hunch is that it would work, but the corn would be a little less plump and juicy. Let me know how it works if you try frozen corn, I’d love to know!