Chow Memories (by Musette)

Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about food on this blog. Patty’s incredible raw pizza.  Tom’s trip to the Fountain.  My green curry, fresh from the garden.

I started thinking about Life a few days ago – silly little things like Trash Day beget that kind of reverie.  Every Tuesday is Trash Day around here – and there’s a certain comfort in that kind of ritual…but there’s also a melancholy.  Each Tuesday is a Tuesday I will not get back – and at my age I have more behind me than ahead of me.  I was making my mother’s corn pudding (aka ‘fried corn’) on Sunday when the melancholy hit me.   What will become of all these recipes’?  My memories?   All the people who do love these recipes are my age and our kids couldn’t care less…..sad…

And then I thought of you guys – each with your own precious memories.  And so many of them revolve around food.  Let’s face it, perfumistas are, first and foremost, hedonists.  We love scents and sensations, with a huge overlap into food and drink – you don’t have to go any further than a Facebook perfume group to see that.  There’s always some photo of something scrumptious on one of those pages.   I want those dishes.  All. Of. Them.  Preferably I would be borne on a silken barge to the preparer’s house, where there would be a lavish spread..  yeah, uh….phone hasn’t been ringing peeople!  So. in lieu of that I would be happy with the recipe.

I thought it might be fun to share some of those favorite recipes with each other.  There are so many of us, with such diverse tastes – and every time I hear of some wonderful dish or cocktail my mouth waters – so why not share them with each other?  Here’s what I want to do:  I’mo post my Mamita’s Fried Corn recipe here – but for the rest of you, you can either leave a recipe in the comments or   1.  drop a comment telling what you are thinking of sharing…then, when you have a minute, drop the recipe off at chicocoascentsationATgmail.  In about a month I will gather all of them together and put them in a Posse Taste Book and link everybody to it.  Whatever the recipe:  any sort of food or drink….a perfume concotion….whatever tickles your fancy.  Submit as many or as few as you like.  I will not be editing – I am simply compiling (will do so by ‘type’ apps, main dishes, desserts, etc)

Here’s the Fried Corn Recipe:

1 doz ears fresh corn, shucked and washed

2T unsalted butter (though my mom used Imperial Margerine – hey, it was 1960!)

2T canola oil

1 yellor onion, minced (actually just chop it fine – don’t make yourself crazy)

1 medium clove garlic, chopped fine

Salt,pepper to taste

Equipment:

A large-hole grater

A large skillet.

Okay – that’s the easy part.

Take 6 ears, cut the kernels off the ears.  reserve the cobs.

Take the other 6 ears, cut the kernels – but cut them only halfway off (in other words, slice lightly rather than deeply into the cob – the whole point of these 6 is to retain as much of the ‘milk’ as possible)

once you get all the kernels cut, take the cobs and grate the rest of the corn ‘meat’ into the kernel bowl – the first six won’t be as milky as the following 6 – at the end you should have something resembling kernel-y slush.

melt the butter into the oil in the skillet, add the onion – cook for about 1 minute or so (just to get it settled in there) add the garlic.  Cook for another minute or so.  Oil/butter mixture should be lightly bubbling.  Add the corn mixture.  Turn to medium-low.  Cook for about 20 minutes, covered.  Uncover, stir, cook another 30 minutes on medium low.  Finish cooking on low, covered, about 40 minutes more (this is a slow-cook dish).  Check to make sure it’s not scorching on the bottom (though some like the scorched bits – I’m not one of those folks).  Stir every now and then.

Corn mixture should thicken on its own – taste for doneness (do NOT ask me – you will know when it’s done – if you have it on low you don’t have to worry – whole cooking time is about 1.5 hrs, thereabouts.  I like to cook it sloooow.  Seems to keep the freshness and sweetness intact).  Salt/pepper to taste.

I’ll throw a couple more in the hoppa once I start getting yours – I know a lot of you have asked about the brownies I made for the Chicocoa Scentsation  – I’ll submit that one.  My friend Francine has given me her vaunted Francine’s Potatoes – and even though it’s over 100 degrees here, I would almost be willing to fire up the oven, these sound so incredible.

So drop a line here! Don’t forget – anything is game for this collection – if you are not a cook and you want to submit some other type of recipe, that’s fine.    I did this once for a book community and someone submitted a recipe for PAPER!  Tres cool!

xoxoxoxoA