Our friend Dixie Wright over there in Poulsbo sure did us all a favor when she asked if Forum cooks could share the proper here’s-how for a panful of fried corn.
So, thanks to Dixie and the folks who have rushed to her rescue, not only do we now have the how-to, we have some of that totally terrific remembrance background we all love so much to go with it. Sort of the Forum equivalent of a letter from home.
“Good morning,” Kate Kessler of Everett writes. “I’ve never contributed to your column before, but this morning (Jan. 26), I saw that someone was looking for ‘fried corn,’ and the recipes I saw that had come in to you weren’t actually fried corn.
“I thought maybe a recipe my father, who didn’t usually do the cooking in our family, used to make might be closer to being fried corn than these others.
“He would take ears of corn and cut the kernels off until he had what he needed to feed the size of the group he was feeding. It would usually be equal to one ear of corn per person. Then he would chop onion and green pepper and red pepper (if red pepper was unavailable, he used pimiento from a jar) in equal amounts to each other and to total the same as the total amount of the corn.
“He then sauteed everything in butter until the vegetables were the amount of doneness he liked. He was pretty modern for his time because he left the veggies nice and crisp rather than cooking them to mush as was done so much in those days.
“The mixture was seasoned with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes and garlic to taste. It was a very spicy and tasty dish, and I still make it occasionally. Sometimes, I cheat a little and use a can of Mexi-corn with extra garlic and pepper flakes to season, but that is nowhere as good as the fresh veggies, of course.”
Kate adds, “Your column is a pleasure to read, not only the recipes but, also, hearing from local people about normal, everyday life is a great pleasure. Thank you.”
And now another wonderful dad story: Mukilteo cook Barbara Teachout tells us, “My dad absolutely loved fried corn! It’s a Southern thing, and there really is no recipe, but you must use real butter and fresh corn.
“Cut the corn off four or five ears and scrape them. Put at least half-a-cube of butter in a cast-iron or nonstick skillet and cook, stirring often to keep it from sticking. It’s almost like cooking risotto, except if you need to add anything, it’s more butter. Let it cook down to taste, but not quite until it’s caramelized. It really is delicious.”
Barbara also says, “I’ve always enjoyed your column, but always assumed someone else would send in the needed recipe. This time, it seemed to be my turn to respond.”
Then, for those who perform best when following cut-and-dried directions, we have one of those recipes today, too. Let’s thanks Sandy Palm of Snohomish for sharing the specifics.
“I found this recipe for fried corn in my ‘The Texas Experience’ cookbook,” she says. “Hope it helps.”
Fried corn
10-12ears corn
1/3cup bacon drippings
1teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Cut the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife, being careful not to cut too close to the cob. Melt bacon drippings in a skillet; add corn and saute lightly for about 10 minutes. Scrape the milk from each cob into the skillet. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Cover with just enough water to cover corn and cook for about 25 minutes.
The next Forum will appear in Wednesday’s Good Life section.
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