Although, for me, corn will always be firmly rooted in Mexican cooking, it has spread its wings and become a staple of other cuisines all around the world. Much as I love its flavour, however, I find sweetcorn needs quite feisty ingredients to give it some savoury depth and to lighten that inherent sweetness. Which is why I started experimenting with spicy Thai flavouring, and came up with today’s glorious combination of hot chilli, fiery ginger, calming coconut and fragrant lemongrass. Kecap manis, the thick, anise-rich Indonesian take on soy sauce, works beautifully here, but the dish works just as well with normal soy sauce. Overleaf is a hearty fennel gratin, to prepare us all for the colder nights ahead. I’ve used unrefined coconut sugar, because its very rich, nutty sweetness complements fennel’s natural sugar, but by all means use demerara or soft brown sugar instead.
Lemongrass and coconut corn polenta
A delicious way to eat corn. Not only do the clean, clear Thai flavours sing through the buttery corn base, but the dish requires so little time and effort that I’m sure it’ll become a regular in your repetoire. To make this real fast food, use a high-quality Thai green curry paste instead of making your own. Serves four to six.
6 corn cobs (or 600g frozen corn)
40g butter
2 banana shallots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fat cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large knob ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
2 stalks chopped lemongrass, outer leaves removed
1-2 hot green chillies, stalk removed
1 large bunch coriander, washed
2 large tomatoes
150ml coconut milk
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tbsp kecap manis (or dark soy sauce)
Juice of 1 lime
100g feta, cubed, to serve (optional)
For the corn broth
3 fresh bay leaves
1 star anise
Trim the ends from each corn cob, then stand one on its base in a large bowl. Using a sharp knife, shave off the kernels into the bowl (try not to cut too deep: the inner starch doesn’t taste so good). Repeat with the remaining cobs, then set the bowl aside. Put the stripped cobs in a pan with the bay leaves and star anise, add water to cover and weigh the cobs down with a small pan lid. Bring to a simmer, and simmer briskly for 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, chilli and coriander stalks into a food processor and blitz to a finely chopped paste. Melt the butter in a large saucepan on a medium heat and, once it begins to sizzle, add the paste. Cook, stirring, for five minutes, until softened, then tip in the corn kernels and stir to coat. Fry for a few minutes more, then add 600ml of the corn broth, the coconut milk, fish sauce and kecap manis, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Briefly blitz the mixture with a stick blender, until about half the kernels are pureed, then add the tomatoes and cook for five to 10 minutes.
Squeeze in the lime, season with more fish sauce or soy sauce to taste, and serve on rice or quinoa. Sprinkle with coriander and cubes of feta (if using).
Fennel and ricotta gratin with hazelnut gremolata
People who say they dislike fennel can’t have tried it roasted, all silky, rich, caramelised and (thanks to a bit of Ottolenghi inspiration) slightly sweet. Give it a go: it’s genuinely mouth-watering. Serves six as a side.
3 large (or 4 medium) fennel bulbs, cut into eight through the stem, fronds reserved and finely chopped
½ garlic clove, peeled
75g hazelnuts
4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs
1 big handful parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 small bunch fresh thyme
120g grated parmesan
4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
175g ricotta
Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Bring a deep pan of salted water to a boil, blanch the fennel for five to six minutes, until tender, then drain, reserving about a cup of the water.
While the fennel is cooking, put the garlic in a mortar, add a little salt and crush to a paste. Add the hazelnuts to the mortar and bash until the mix is the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Transfer to a bowl and add the fennel fronds, breadcrumbs, parsley, sugar and half the parmesan. Stir in the oil and season to taste (remember that parmesan is quite salty).
Spread the thyme branches over the base of a baking dish just large enough to hold all the fennel snugly in one layer. Tuck in the fennel and pour the reserved cooking water over it – the bottom of the dish should be submerged.
Stir the remaining parmesan into the ricotta and dot spoonfuls of the cheese mix in between the pieces of fennel. Season generously, spread the hazelnut mix all over the top, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
And for the rest of the week…
I serve the corn with rice cooked in the rest of the tin of coconut milk (add water to top up, if need be), plus a few teaspoons of fish sauce to offset the sweetness of the milk. I also love to top it all off with a crisp-edged fried egg. If you’re avoiding dairy, make the corn with coconut oil instead of butter and omit the feta. The fennel makes a great partner for sausages, roast pork shoulder or leg of lamb; it also goes brilliantly with cannellini beans cooked in olive oil with lots of garlic and sage until creamy, then topped with more oil and grated parmesan. These beans also make a great bruschetta topping, especially with some prosciutto or, even better, Ibérico ham.
• Thomasina Miers is co-owner of the Wahaca group of Mexican restaurants.
