Mexicorn

Eastside Road, August 5, 2015—

WELL, NO, IT isn't really Mexicorn of course, but it suddenly brought memories of that curious canned vegetable to mind. Mexicorn was kernels of corn, bits of red bell pepper, and perhaps something else I'm forgetting at the moment, all canned, of course: when I was a boy there was only fresh vegetables and canned, no frozen vegetables, at first because they hadn't been invented, then because we lacked electricity and therefore refrigeration and freezers.

This is not Mexicorn, but it is, believe it or not, a Martha Stewart recipe, because Cook doesn't care where an idea originates, only whether it sounds promising enough to try. If she thinks so, it almost certainly proves itself.

We were in our local supermarket, a good one, supporting local farmers, and she found a promising ear of corn, and a bell pepper; we had an onion, and I'd bought a couple of tomatoes the previous day at the farm market. (In the supermarket we ran into an acquaintance who looked at our basket and remarked: One ear of corn. Yes, I said; Lindsey's frugal; but she can make a meal.)

Onion and garlic soffrito cooked in an iron skillet; add sliced red bell pepper; rice; chicken broth; fresh corn cut of one ear. You've already grilled a sausage or two in that skillet. A little salt and pepper as needed. Cover and bake until done — it's a sort of oven-made risotto. Top it with chopped cilantro and serve.

Rosé, La Ferme Julien

☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants