corn, two ways: maple bacon polenta + mexican corn salad
greetings from my last day in israel! i am about to begin my zillion hour, three-flight journey home, and if my calculations are correct, i will return right in the thick of wheat harvest.
i love wheat harvest. the golden wheat fields and the green grassy yards and the bright blue skies make the most rockin color blocking vibe, and the whole place smells like pizza. it's like a pizza-scented rothko. a scratch n sniff rothko.
it's great.
and of course another great thing about harvest is the farm lunches!!!!!
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most of the days this summer, eggboy has been able to come in for lunch, but during harvest, if there is good weather, work doesn't stop for lunch. which is laaaaame because that means i gotta put on pants and go outside when i wanna see him during daylight hours (#hermit), but awesome because i was made to pack cute lunches. and while i shouldn't take credit for all of the farm lunches, as eggmama is by far the main farm lunch maker, occasionally the inspiration strikes and i go on a lunch-making binge, complete with fresh scones and love notes.
before i left, inspiration hit in the form of corn. and bacon. and eggboy's love of mexican food. and the cutest little fold-up spork i ever did see*. this maple bacon polenta is exactly what it sounds like: creamy, buttery cornmeal polenta with a swirl of sweet maple syrup, topped with a handful of crispy bacon. it's super quick and easy to make and the combination of corn, maple, and bacon is delicious. and the other dish here, the mexican corn salad, is a sporkable version of elotes, mexican street corn on the cob that's been covered in cream, cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime. this version is a little extra spicy and a fresh contrast to the polenta.
maple bacon polenta
makes 4 servings
ingredients
4 slices bacon
2 c water
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c corn meal
1/4 c whole milk
3 tb unsalted butter
1/4 tsp paprika
Black pepper, to taste
3 tb maple syrup
clues
crisp up the bacon in a skillet. while it's cooking, make the polenta.
Place the water and salt in a saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, whisk in the corn meal very gradually, and continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the milk, butter, paprika, black pepper, and maple syrup. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
When the bacon is done cooking, pat off excess fat and give it a rough chop. Sprinkle the bacon over the polenta and serve.
enjoy!
mexican corn salad
makes 8 servings
ingredients
2 tb flavorless oil, like canola
8 ears of corn
kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 c mayo
1/4 c sour cream, crema, or plain greek yogurt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
2 tsp lime juice
8 oz feta or cotija
2 tb chopped cilantro
clues
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Chop the corn kernels off of the cobs and add the corn to the skillet with a good pinch of salt and a few turns of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes, until browned.
In a large bowl, mix together the mayo, sour cream, paprika, cayenne, and lime juice. Add the corn and stir to coat. Stir in the feta and cilantro. Serve immediately or chill and serve it cold.
enjoy!
-yeh!
*the cutest little foldable spork i ever did see has come c/o the newest member of our sturdy farm lunch container family, genuine thermos brand®'s new dual compartment food jar. it has a section that'll keep your polenta hot for five hours and a separate section for your mexican corn. it's sturdy enough to get the eggboy seal of approval (i.e. it can get tossed around a tractor on a regular basis), and yes, that spork, i squealed when i saw it.
thank you so much to genuine thermos brand® for providing compensation and product for this post! all opinions are mine.
