IN SEASON
KERNELS King of the
At peak season, we spoke to the team at Riverford about this cool cob...
Every gardener loves growing sweetcorn; it is one of the few crops you don’t have to bend down to pick and during a hot summer, it’s easy to grow. Unfortunately, with the UK’s climatic extremes, the crop really struggles to ripen in a poor summer. Normally an import from Mexico, here at Riverford, we coax it along with crop covers, but it is oſt en not ripe until September when the barbecues are starting to be packed away.
People make a lot of fuss
about eating corn super-fresh to get the most sweetness, but modern ‘supersweet’ varieties have been bred to delay the conversion of starch to sugar, meaning that they keep pretty well in the fridge for a week, though as with most veg, fresh is always best.
Our favourite cooking
method, used at all summer staff parties, is to soak the cobs in water for a few minutes and then cook them patiently on a barbecue so they steam inside their husk. When they start to catch, they are normally just about done. T e husks can be peeled back, making a good handle for eating the cob smothered in butter and/or chilli sauce.
GOLDEN SWEETCORN SOUP
This sunny, golden soup is deliciously creamy and can be ready in less than 40 minutes.
Serves 4 2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tbsp ground turmeric
200g potatoes, such as King Edwards, peeled and diced 1 fresh sprig of thyme 500g sweetcorn kernels
1 litre good-quality chicken or vegetable stock 4 slices of pancetta 4 slices of baguette
26 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
100g soft goats’ cheese Pinch of chilli fl akes, to serve
1 Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook over a low–medium heat for 8–10 mins, until translucent. Add the garlic and turmeric, and fry for 1 min, until fragrant.
2 Stir in the diced potato, along with the thyme and sweetcorn kernels. Cover with the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20–25 mins, until the vegetables are tender. Discard the thyme.
3 While the soup is cooking, preheat the grill to medium. Grill the pancetta, alongside the baguette slices, for 1–2 mins each side, until crisp and golden. Set aside.
4 Allow the soup to cool a little before blitzing with a stick blender until smooth, reheat if necessary and season to taste.
5 To serve, spread the baguette slices with the goats’ cheese and fl oat on the soup or serve alongside. Crumble the pancetta over the soup and sprinkle lightly with chilli fl akes.
The Goodness of Ginger & Turmeric by Emily Jonzen, published by Kyle Books
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