There is nothing that makes me more happy in the kitchen than a good recipe for a desert that everyone will be drooling over, just looking at it, or a vegetarian dish that makes people "wow".
Often times, I cook for people of different nationalities, religions, and of course tastes, and I find myself challenged to respect everyone's preferences. In such situations, I usually end up making a vegetarian dish.
I realize that although I am getting close to 200 posts, I have never shared any corn recipes. Since it is a corn season in America, where corn is particularly tasty, and corn is the mainstay of the American cuisine, it is time to fix what I have overlooked for such a long time.
Typically, I buy fresh corn cobs, cook them or grill them, and serve with butter for dinner as a side dish. I do it often in the summer, especially because this is a vegetable that my son never objects to, but I admit that I have not yet discovered a corn dish that would satisfy my taste. Until recently.
Sometimes I am left with corn extras and then I experiment with them and try in what food combination they would taste best. This way I came up with an idea of delicious corn salad that has been a seasonal hit over last weeks. I serve it with grilled meat and the dinner is ready in no time. I will share this recipe soon, but today I would like to post something different--corn pancakes, which I made for the first time just two days ago. It is a very simple dish, yet interesting in taste, and everyone who tried it praised it. Even my picky son gave it thumbs up and decided that they were almost as good as his favorite Polish potato pancakes.
I have had this recipe in my recipe book for years I can only regret that I have not tried it earlier. It is banally easy to make but tastes surprisingly sophisticated. It can be served as dinner dish, garnished with mayonnaise sauce or as a starter. Please try and judge yourself.
Corn Pancakes
(Makes 15-16 pancakes)
Ingredients:
2 cups (16 oz or 1 lb) yellow corn kernels. It can be grilled or cooked, in the usual way, then cut off the cob. You can also use frozen corn, which needs to be cooked for about 5 minutes.
2 large garlic cloves,
2 eggs,
1/3 cup corn starch,
1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves roughly chopped,
1/2 jalapeno pepper,
1 inch fresh peeled ginger root,
1/2 tsp salt and fresh pepper to taste,
vegetable oil for frying (I would suggest grape seed oil or rice bran oil, which are most healthy and least aromatic when fried).
Preparation:
1. Put half of the corn (about one cup) in a food processor. Save the other half at this moment.
2. Add to the corn a piece of ginger, eggs, corn starch, coriander leaves, jalapeno pepper, salt and pepper.
3. Run the engine until all the ingredients turn into purée mixture.
4. Take everything out of the food processor, place in a medium bowl, and add the remaining whole corn kernels. Mix all well.
5. In a large frying pan heat 3 tbsp of oil until hot. Using a soup spoon place small portions in a pan.
6. Fry for about 3 minutes, then turn on the other side, and fry for another 2 minutes.
7. Take pancakes from the pan and place them on a plate lined with a sheet of paper towel, to absorb the unnecessary oil.
Mayonnaise sauce
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise,
juice from half a lime,
1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves,
1/4 cup chopped spring onion,
pinch of salt.
Preparation:
Place mayonnaise in a small bowl. Add finely chopped coriander and spring onion, lemon juice and salt. Mix well.
Serve pancakes topped with 1/2 tsp of mayonnaise sauce and tomato salad.
