Creamed corn, mushrooms & crispy kale, soup in a similar vein & culinary ear-worms

Two ways with creamed corn - my latest culinary ear-worm.

I am addicted to creamed corn. It’s my latest culinary ear worm.

You know: the dish, technique or flavour combination that gets stuck in your head and, for weeks, you somehow can’t think of a meal that doesn’t involve it. My last such ear worm was rolling things up (as evidenced in the most recent recipes here – jam roll, courgette filo rolls, chard rolls, feta rolled up in fig leaves… you get the picture). Well, now it is creamed corn. Maybe that’s because my sweetcorn is almost ready to pick.

Sweetcorn is simple enough to grow.

It is tender so the seeds must be sown in modules under cover in April, or outside after the last frosts in late May. Once the seedlings are 15cm high they can be planted in the ground around 30cm apart in each direction. They will grow on happily without much attention and with success almost guaranteed so long as you do one crucial thing: plant them in a grid not a row. They are wind pollenated, so a grid formation maximises their chance of pollenating and, since you generally only get two cobs per plant, every opportunity matters. My dozen plants are just about ready to pick now.

Of course, the pleasure of a fresh cob, picked, dashed to a waiting pan of boiling water, then devoured as butter drips down your chin, is the only way to eat homegrown corn on the cob. But the rest of the year, frozen sweetcorn will do perfectly well for cooking, and is especially suited should you develop a creamed corn habit like mine.

And to cultivate that habit, this week’s Extra Helping for paid subscribers, is a second recipe based on creamed corn – ‘Sweetcorn and bacon chowder with poached eggs’. Scroll down for the printer-friendly recipe card PDFs of both…

Creamed corn, mushrooms & crispy kale

Sweet, creamy corn; the crunch of kale and breadcrumbs; umami-rich mushrooms - a warming, hearty and accidentally healthy mid-week meal for nights that are drawing in. To make it vegan, just omit the cream and use oil instead of butter in the breadcrumbs.

Serves 2

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 300g mushrooms

• 100g kale

• Pinch chilli flakes

• Pinch garlic granules

• For the corn:

• 400g sweetcorn kernels (thawed if using frozen)

• 2 tbsp double cream (optional)

For the breadcrumbs:

• 15g salted butter (or olive oil if you want to make it vegan)

• 30g panko breadcrumbs

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 1 lemon, zested

• 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Boil a pan of water, add the sweetcorn and cook for 5 minutes. If you are using fresh kernels just cut from the cob, cook for 5 minutes extra. Drain the sweetcorn, return it to the pan then whizz until smooth with a handheld blender. Add the cream and a big pinch of salt and stir together. Keep warm on a low heat whilst you make the rest. (It also reheats well if you want to make it ahead.)

For the mushrooms, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan whilst you slice the mushrooms. I like to leave them quite thick – 5mm ish. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook over a high heat for 5-10 minutes until they have released their juices and are starting to caramalise. Don’t rush this stage, the mushrooms need to be really dark and reduced.

Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 190C. Tear the kale into 3cm pieces, discarding the fat end of the stalks, and toss in the remaining oil, chilli flakes, garlic granules and a pinch of salt. Make sure every bit of the kale is coated. Arrange on a large baking tray so there is space between each piece of kale. Roast in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the kale is crisp but not browned. Remove and set aside. By this time, your mushrooms should be done too so turn the heat right down to keep them warm whilst you finish up.

For the breadcrumbs, in another frying pan (sorry), melt the butter then add all the other ingredients, plus a pinch of salt and fry for 2-3 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden brown and the garlic aroma has filled the kitchen. Set aside.

Re-heat the corn if needed then spoon to onto two plates. Pile the mushrooms on top then scatter over the crispy kale and the breadcrumbs. Serve immediately or the kale and breadcrumbs will go soggy.

Sweetcorn and bacon chowder with poached eggs

A vibrant, quick dish for an autumnal day in need of colour. Don’t be tempted to skip the sweetcorn and spring onion topping, it really adds another dimension.

Serves 4