Kid-Friendly Meals: Fresh Summer Corn
You'd be hard-pressed to find a kid—or a grown-up—who doesn't love fresh summer corn, making it the ultimate ingredient to ensure licked-clean dinner plates. These three simple kid friendly recipes (all requiring raw kernels from 3 ears) require minimal effort. Good thing, since its hardly the season to be sweating over the stove.
- If you have cornmeal
Spoon Bread
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Separate 3 eggs into 2 bowls.
Whisk the yolks with 1/3 cup of milk.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons each of cornmeal, flour, and sour cream.
Stir in the corn and a dash of cayenne pepper.
Beat the egg whites on high until soft peaks form. Gently fold them into the yolk mixture.
Mix 1 minced, seeded jalapeño pepper with ½ cup of grated jack or cheddar. Sprinkle it all inside a buttered 1-quart baking dish.
Spoon the egg mixture into the dish. Top with another ¼ cup of grated cheese.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes. Serve with broiled tomatoes and call it dinner.
- If you have shrimp
Corn and Shrimp Salad
Squeeze the juice from 1 lime and 1 lemon into a small bowl.
Toss 1 pound of raw shrimp with half the juice.
Sauté the shrimp in olive oil over high heat for about 2 minutes a side.
Remove the shrimp. Toss the corn in the pan juices until warm.
Chop 2 tomatoes, 1 avocado, and some cilantro.
Combine with the corn, olive oil and salt, and the remaining juice.
Add the shrimp. Serve on a bed of Boston lettuce.
- If you have bacon
Fettuccine with Bacon and Corn
Fry 8 ounces of bacon until crisp, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Crumble and set aside.
Cook a 16-ounce package of fettuccine until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
Return the pasta to the pot. Add the bacon, drippings, corn, and 1 cup of grated Parmesan.
Toss to combine, adding a bit of the pasta water if it seems too dry.
Divide into bowls. Top each portion with chopped basil, black pepper, and more Parmesan.
Photography by Graeme Boyle & Laura Gardner, styled by Susan Ottaviano at Haley Resources
