Corn Cakes

Possibly also known as corn fritters. The jury’s still out on that distinction (or I just haven’t consulted the right court)—I incline towards thinking of fritters as rounder and more fried and cakes a little flatter.

In any case, it isn’t corn season yet but fortunately I still have corn from last season in my freezer. And now that all the fresh vegetables are coming up (salads with EVERYTHING) I feel comfortable using up the tasty foodstuffs frozen away. And I need space in my freezer anyway to make room for the buckets of pesto that summer shall endow.

The possibilities for local food feeding all of us, by the way, are growing. Which is great, because “local”  (i.e. less commodity-based) farmers tend to follow more sustainable practices, which is helping decrease global malnutrtion.

And we sure do have some great local products! I favor using a mix of cornmeals here, as in most corny delights. Helps vary the texture. Similarly to pancakes, these are flexible, and take new additions and flavors quite well (within reason). Chives are fabulous, as are most green onion-types. Or you can go the other way and add a little sugar, maple syrup, or top with molasses.

Corn cakes
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal, mixed varieties
1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
Chives or scallions
1 tsp baking powder (soda if using yogurt or buttermilk)
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup hot water, supplemented with yogurt, buttermilk, or milk as desired
Vegetable oil for cooking

Mix the dry ingredients (including corn kernels and chopped chives) in a bowl. Stir in the hot water and let sit for a few minutes, then mix in the egg. Adjust liquid as necessary so the batter spreads enough in a pan.

Heat up a flat pan with a good bit of oil (more if you want to make actual fritters), and put the batter in the pan like pancakes. Cook for a minute or two then flip and cook again. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

I enjoyed mine with a balsamic reduction and a large salad; they take other sauces nicely too—tomato, vinegar, mushroom…