corn hash
(vegan)

recipe by mb

just the recipe

what I was looking for

What with spring all of a sudden being sprung here, my little family is starting to make our way out to our back porch, where we spend the majority of our time during the nice weather. This leads me to want to make an entirely different kind of food from winter food ... food that feels outdoorsy.

what I made

I turned once again to our book of the month, The Art of Simple Food (page 302) and found corn hash, a recipe that felt just like summer and could be executed in a faux‑summer way.

grades for my version

healthy	A	Vegetables, corn (a whole grain), and a little bit of olive oil? Oh yeah it's healthy.
fast	A	Yessiree.
easy	A-	Small dicing isn't the easiest thing in the world but everything else is!
cheap	A	Yup.
delicious	B	This was very tasty, but not flop around on the floor delicious.

yield

4 servings.

equipment

   a measuring cup
   a knife
   a frying pan
   a medium bowl
   a spoon

the veggies

ingredients	Alice	mb	why?
corn	2 cups fresh kernels	2 cups frozen kernels	easier [1]
pepper	1 hot chile, diced	1 red bell, diced	tastier [2]
onion family	1 small red onion, diced	1 large shallot, diced	tastier
lipid	2 Tablespoons butter	1 Tablespoon olive oil	healthier, tastier [3]
Notes
[1]	It's the beginning of April. In Boston. Finding fresh corn right now would be pretty difficult. But I keep corn in my freezer for occasions just like this. So yeah, frozen corn was WAY easier.
[2]	Someday I'll be able to eat spicy food again, but that day was not today, sadly.
[3]	Here I'm using olive oil both as a cooking tool and also very much as a flavor. In a dish that's this simple the flavor of the oil you use comes across very strongly. It was wonderful with olive oil.

   Measure out two cups of frozen corn kernels and set them aside to defrost a little while you get everything else ready.

   Dice both the pepper and the shallot quite fine, into about ½ inch pieces, then set them aside.

   In a large frying pan heat the olive oil over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the corn. Don't worry if it isn't all the way defrosted yet because it will be soon. Let the corn cook somewhat by allowing it to brown and then stirring vigorously. Repeat this until the corn is cooked through and looks nicely browned.

Now add the diced pepper and shallot, stirring very quickly. You don't really want these to cook, because you want them to retain the majority of their flavor and texture. But you also don't want their flavor to completely overwhelm the flavor of the corn, which is why you're cooking them this very little bit. Stir the contents of the frying pan until you see the shallots starting to become see-through and the peppers are just beginning to soften.

      Then remove the pan from the heat and scrape the contents into a bowl.

the finishing touches

ingredients	Alice	mb	why?
cilantro, chopped	1 Tablespoon	½ Tablespoon	tastier [1]
lime juice	1 squeeze	juice of 1 lime	tastier
salt	to taste	to taste	no change
Notes
[1]	I know we go over this every time, but I LOVE cilantro; it's J who doesn't. We suffer for the ones we love, right? (And then just add more cilantro to our own plate!)

   Add the chopped cilantro to the bowl and stir. Then add the lime juice and salt until you think you have reached the perfect flavor.

go-withs

This is a wonderful accompaniment to burgers, fish, a large leafy-green salad, or eggs.

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