AVF #4 Guest Post: Corn Pudding

Things are going to be slightly different this round. It's just me and my new local friend Laura, who was kind enough to send me an entry even though she doesn't have a blog! So these are her words below, and I'll post my Vegetarian Picnic Feast entry tomorrow. Thanks for tuning in!

Like everything I make, there's not really a recipe for this dish. It changes each time but the core ingredients are the same: corn, some kind of fat (butter or olive oil), some kind of milk substance (dairy or soy), veggies for taste and color (onion and pepper, bell or spicy). All of this is mixed together and baked. If I want something heartier, I add flour (or in this case, hush puppy mix - yum!!), an egg and sharp cheddar cheese. In essence it's an excuse to savor the loveliness of cooked-down sweet corn flavor. Put it in a shallow baking dish and it can be almost chewy and carmelized on top. Put it in a deeper glass dish and you have to wait for it to set like a quiche. In any case, it is delicious and a great accompaniment to grilled anything (I'd go for zucchini and eggplant slices with mushrooms, marinated in balsamic vinigriette). I would go so far as to say this dish is worth bringing forks to your picnic...

Here is the "recipe" that I made this time (what is pictured). As you can imagine, it's way better with fresh sweet corn scraped off the cob, but we won't have that around here (Iowa City) for at least another month:

Mix in a bowl:
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 slightly-beaten egg
1/4 cup milk
Big handful of grated sharp cheddar cheese
Black pepper to taste
(You won't need salt using canned corn, but might if you use fresh corn)

Sautee in butter until tenderish:
A few tablespoons each of:
Minced onion
Diced red bell pepper
Diced poblano pepper

While still cooking in the pan, add to the veggies:
2-3 tablespoons of hush puppy mix (or flour w/ some added seasonings if you'd like, or just flour)
Mix well to coat the veggies. Let the flour brown a little.

Allow the cooked veggies to cool a bit.
Mix them with the stuff in the bowl

Pour all of this into a buttered glass baking dish.

Bake in a 325 degree preheated oven for at least 30 minutes. Check for the consistency you like. It may take up to an hour to cook in a deeper pan (or if you want it to be more chewy-licious and golden-brown on top).

Let cool as much or little as you want. This is great hot, room tempurature or cold (but admittedly, I like corn more than most people!)