I’ve been a fan of Jane Butel‘s many cookbooks for decades. Butel is the well-known author of 32 cookbooks and considered the leading international authority on the cuisine of the American Southwest, Tex-Mex cooking, and regional Mexican cooking. She has hosted television shows, national radio shows, and conducts cooking schools and culinary tours.
When I lived in Oklahoma, her cookbooks were always in use. I pulled one of them recently off my Culinary Cellar bookshelf because as the weather becomes warmer, I’m always ready to get the grill cleaned off and ready for warmer Illinois days. The first recipe that got my attention was “Super Secret Baby Back Pork Ribs.” Butel says she promised not to reveal the name of the restaurant that made the ribs famous. Others to try include “Beer Barbecued Pork Chops” that won a South Dakota Pork contest in 1979; “Hawaiian Luau Barbecued Beef Ribs” that sound amazing;” a recipe from a retired NYC police officer shared his “Sicilian Barbecued Chicken” that has a very special relish-type sauce. Well-known cookbook author Nathalie Dupree offered her “Outrageous Ham Steak,” one of my husband’s favorite. My husband also loves fish and wants to have the “San Francisco Barbecued Fish,” which includes in its ingredients, beer, bacon, lots of spices, and more. I love recipes for side dishes to serve with barbecues such as coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, and corn-on-the-cob.
I love grilling vegetables, and being a Midwesterner who loves corn, grilling corn is a must. However, it is not corn season yet. When I came across a recipe for grilled corn-on-the-cob, it made me think of our Farmer’s Market in town that always has an abundance of corn but of course it is not open yet. However, I was intrigued by a recipe to make it on the stovetop with the only corn-on-the-cob I could find that is already husked, ends cut off, and wrapped in plastic at some grocery stores out of season.
You know this kind – not what we buy “fresh off the stalk” at a market or farm stand, but if you are hungry for fresh corn-on-the-cob out of season, Butel tells us how to freshen it up with a few ingredients.
The corn is simmered in a mixture of water, dry milk, sugar, and salt.
It worked! I tried her method with three of the cobs, and one just in plain water. After taste-testing the ones using the milk method vs. the plain water boil method, I found that the milk mixture made the corn kernels brighter, tender but slightly crispy, sweet, and more flavor than the plain boiled. Slathering with some butter, salt, and pepper made it even better. This Midwest girl was happy.
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup dried milk
- 4 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 packaged and husked sweet corn-on-the-cob
- Butter, salt, freshly ground black pepper, for serving
- Place water, dry milk, sugar, and salt in a skillet. Bring to a simmer, then add corn to pan. Gently simmer, slightly covered with a lid, for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender-crisp and bright yellow. Remove and serve with butter, salt, and pepper.
Terrific! Love learning little cooking tips from clever cooks! And thank you for testing out the recipe for all of us. This trick may come in handy some time, even with fresh market corn that isn’t quite up to par, which happens sometimes in our area.