Tag: corn

Maricruz Avalos’s Tamales De Elote (Sweet Corn Tamales)

.Reading time 2 minutes.

Serves: 8

We did a long Sunday afternoon Argentinian lunch this weekend.

A wonderful Beef Empanadas to start.

And then rump cooked over charcoal served with Chimichurri. Smashed potatoes.

And these quite wonderful Sweet Corn Tamales. Much better than cornbread in my opinion and far more… well, Argentinian.

It was in itself an absolutely love lunch with some wonderful flavours.

Though wow, these Tameles are just a great side. Chicken, a braise, a wonderful piece of steak: a great, great accompaniment.

The original receipe asks for the Tamale to be cooked within the corn husks, though this didn’t seem practical to me. My husks were not large enough and so I used baking paper which worked the trick.

Just add some kitchen twine.

These won’t win any awards, though as a side – kid-friendly too – they’re great.

Note: the original recipe asked for Masa Harina and Cornmeal, neither of which I had. I substituted plain flour and polenta and this worked perfectly well.

Ingredients

1kg corn kernels (about 5 – 6 corn ears) with husks
1/2 c butter
1/2 c caster sugar
1/2 c Masa Harina (substitute plain flour)
1/2 c cornmeal (substitute Polenta)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Cut off the two ends of each corn ear and with a sharp knife, remove the kernels. Working in batches, place the corn kernels in a food processor and grind them until you have a paste.
  2. Drain any liquid from the corn in a colander and place in a large bowl.
  3. Beat the butter and egg until nicely fluffy. Add the buter mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the corn and mix until well combined.
  4. In a large, reserved corn husk – or on baking paper – place several large tbsp of the corn mixture and make into a log. Fold over the sides of the husk/baking paper and roll into a tube, securing with kitchen twine if necessary.
  5. Add the tamales in the rack of a steaming pot, making sure the open side is upwards. Steam for 90 minutes, adding more boiling water as necessary.

Avocado Chicken Salad

.Reading time 1 minute.

Serves: 4

There was debate about whether this recipe should be typed up.

Not because it isn’t great or super healthy, though because it is just a bit too simple. It’s almost not a recipe.

(Plus Natalie had never had bacon and coriander and wasn’t sure if they went together, not withstanding that they obviously do because the whole salad tastes amazing.)

Anyway, it was the boys – Oliver and Tom – that pushed me to type this up. They loved the salad and wanted it somewhere so they could make it for their kids one day.

Make it fun like we did and put the ingredients in separate bowls: let people make their own unique salad, toss with the lime juice and olive oil and enjoy.

How good is healthy!

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, grilled and shredded
2 ripe avocados, pitted and diced
1/2 cup corn, grilled and hulled
1/4 cup red onion, minced
4 rasher of bacon, chopped and fried
2 tbsp coriander leaves
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. In a large bowl, add the shredded chicken, avocado, onion, corn, bacon and coriander.
  2. Drizzle with the lime juice, olive oil, season with salt and pepper and toss gently to combine.

(Tomato, cucumber and black beans would also compliment this salad.)

Banc’s Sweet Corn and Basil Soup

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Serves: 4

This is a truly sublime soup and one we have served plenty of times at the beginning of a dinner party.

It is from the famous Sydney restaurant, Banc.

We have served it both hot and cold and plenty of times, we have been asked for more. Indeed, we had a cook-off with a mate a few years back where we both did three courses each and this soup was a comprehensive point-scorer in my favour.

Here’s what the prep looks like when you’re cooking it for 31+ friends (!!!) at our long lunch/wedding:

Prepare it beforehand and chill in the fridge.

And seriously blow them all away.

Ingredients

4 fresh corn cobs
200gm diced onions
50ml cream
50ml diced butter
1 small bunch fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

  1. The stock: Peel and remove all the outer stalks from the cobs. Using a knife, remove all the corn kernels from the cobs and reserve. Cut the cobs in half.
  2. In a heavy-based pan, melt half the butter and add half of the diced onion. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes on a medium heat without allowing it to colour. Add the cobs and a good pinch of salt and cook for a further 5 minutes without browning.
  3. Add 1.5 litres of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the stock to infuse for a further 30 minutes before passing it through a fine sieve, discarding the cobs and onions
  4. The soup: In a heavy-based pan melt the remaining butter and add the remaining diced onion. Sweat the onion for 5 minutes on a medium heat without allowing to colour. Add the corn kernels and a good pinch of salt and cook for a further 5 minutes.
  5. Add the corn stock and simmer for 20 – 25 minutes until the corn kernels are tender. Pour in the cream and continue to cook for 5 more minutes.
  6. Remove from the heat and blend the soup in a blender until smooth. Add roughly chopped basil and season with salt and pepper. Leave the soup for at least an hour – ideally overnight in the fridge – to allow the flavours to infuse, before passing the soup through a fine sieve, pressing hard on the corn to extract as much flavour as possible. Season once more and serve hot or cold.