Corn on the Cob
My beautiful Aunt Pilar taught me how to cook corn like this. It always turned out slightly crunchy and tender, just the way I like it. I don’t eat it much anymore, since it is not one of the lower carbohydrate vegetables in in the world. Little B and Tall P like it a lot, so I do cook up a batch for them every now and then. The peak of the corn growing season is still a few months off, but warmer weather reminds me of piles of corn on the cob at group picnics and barbeques. I remember growing up my parents had a set of narrow, teak corn on the cob bowls with matching handles for the cobs. You stuck the handles on the ends, which made for dainty corn eating. The bowls allowed the melted butter that dripped off to be caught, instead of spreading all over your plate,because there was always a part of the cob that needed more butter. If you have a big crowd to feed there is a mass production version of this technique that works great. See below for the details. You may not have enough corn bowls for them, but the corn will be good and warm all the same.
Corn on the Cob
3 – 4 quarts water
5 – 8 cobs of corn
1 Tbsp sea salt
Remove the husks and corn silk from all the ears of corn. Cut short any stems that are more than ½ inch long. Pour water and salt into a deep stock pot. Cover. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Uncover and add corn. Cover. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes. Remove corn from water and let sit so water can evaporate and drain off, then serve immediately. Season with salt, pepper, butter or other seasonings of your choice.
If you are serving a big group outside and have to spare a large cooler with a draining spout, here is a simple approach. Put the shucked cobs in the cooler. Get all your large pots on the stove and fill them with salted water. Boil the water. Pour the boiling water over the corn, enough to cover all the ears, and close the lid. Let sit for about 15 – 20 minutes to allow all the corn to cook, then drain the water from the cooler spout. Leave the top closed so as to keep the corn warm until time to serve. Everyone will have warm corn on the cob to go with whatever is being grilled.