#grilledcorn

Pastas are an easy way to feed a crowd. Serve it up simply on a platter in family-style fashion, or plated for a lingering estival repast. One of the precious parts of summer dining in Canada is that we can enjoy our meals either indoors or al fresco. Dining al fresco can be as elaborate or as simple as  you like, and is about the experience of unwinding. 

Mexican street corn, or “elote” is a staple of the street food scene in Mexico City. The word elote comes from the Nahuatl word for corn, and this dish is thought to have originated with the Aztecs. Elote is grilled corn on the cob covered in melted butter, mayo, chili powder, cotija cheese, and lime.

This recipe is a great place to use the glut of herbs in your summer garden. I think it’s almost impossible to have too many fresh soft herbs. If you have chives or edible flowers in your garden, add in to the mix with reckless abandon.

*********** Noodle size is important to consider for each pasta dish you make. It is often better to have a noodle that is of a similar size the rest of the ingredients in the dish, so you can enjoy a bit of everything in one bite.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad Chef Ilona Daniel Serves 6

 1 lb short pasta noodles (such as ditali, rotini, fiorelli, fusilli, or other as preferred), cooked according to package directions

1 cucumber, sliced in half-way lengthwise, seeded and sliced into half-moons)

½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

½ - 1 cup mild pickled jalapenos, chopped

½ cup red onion, small dice

1 cup cotija (or feta cheese), crumbled

3 cobs of corn

6 radishes, sliced thinly

3 green onions, sliced thinly on a bias for garnish

Dressing:

1 ½ cups sour cream

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup lime juice, freshly squeezed

1-2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (I prefer a Mexican hot sauce here)

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoon ground cumin

2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped

 To prepare the dressing, combine all ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.

When tossing the noodles and other ingredients with the dressing, reserve ¼ cup to drizzle over the top of the salad as part of the garnish.

 For the salad:

 To enhance the visual appeal of the dish, reserve a little of all the vegetables to arrange over the top of the dressed pasta salad.

 In a large frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil.

Add corn to the pan and cook until the corn is slightly browned.

–OR--

Brush corn with oil and season with salt to taste. Grill over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, turning throughout, until kernels begin to char. Allow to cool slightly before using a sharp knife to cut kernels from the cobs.

Cinnamon and garlic butter-basted, mesquite infused ribeye with riced cauliflower drizzled in a smoked tomato reduction and paired with a grilled ear of corn.

This is my first recipe (happens to be low carb) and I’m really only writing it all down because I winged this whole dish from start to finish and it turned out delicious! I’ve provided process photos to help guide you through this labor of love. I promise the results will be well worth your while. I won’t bore you with some long, drawn-out story about stuff you don’t care about like most recipe posts. If you try this, leave a comment about how you liked it or how you might tweak it in the future.

This is a reverse-seared ribeye that I seasoned with my own blend of ground cinnamon, paprika, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and just a touch of brown sugar. Amounts are non specific, but essentially are equal parts of the whole for a slightly sweet, smoky, salty rub. I finished with some dried rosemary sprigs because I like the aroma they give off when lightly roasted and then toasted on the grill. I paired the steak with some steamed, riced cauliflower that I drizzled with a fire-roasted tomato reduction. I also recommend an ear of grilled corn which I will show at the end.

Ingredients you will need (feeds two adults): 

This was a 12 oz boneless Ribeye cut about an inch thick but you could use any cut you prefer (cooking times will vary slightly depending on fat content, marbling, desired level of done-ness and thickness obviously)

Birdseye Riced frozen cauliflower (easy to steam in the bag)

Ground cinnamon (dash for the rub, and another dash for the baste)

Paprika (dash)

Sea salt (dash)

Ground black pepper (dash)

Garlic powder (dash)

Onion powder (dash)

Brown sugar (dash)

Dried Rosemary (dash)

Clove of garlic (minced)

3 tbs of butter

2 tbs of olive oil

6 oz Nature Sweet Cherubs tomatoes

(Optional) Two large ears of fresh corn in their husks

Season on both sides with the ground cinnamon, paprika, sea salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and finally, the rosemary. Once you have dusted each side, be sure to press the seasoning into the steak with your hands to ensure a proper crust can form later on the outside of your steak. Let your steak pull in the seasonings over at least 30 minutes but preferably up to 8 hours. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees and pull your steak out of the fridge. Leave on counter to allow the chill to be taken off the steak before placing it in a cast iron skillet (or a baking sheet).

Now for the magic you may have yet to have tried. The reverse sear. This will deliver a perfect medium-rare steak with little to no risk of overcooking your steak and losing the juice that makes steak worth paying up for. Place your steak in the oven at 200 degrees for about 45 minutes (thinner, leaner cuts will be closer to 35-40 minutes) or until you’ve got an internal temperature around 95 degrees. As the oven starts to work its magic, light up your charcoal grill. You will flip your steak over after the first 22 minutes. This will bring the internal temperature of your steak up to the perfect medium rare. After the flip and the full 45 minutes, pull your pre-perfection steak out (pictured below). 

You’ll see some juices that have exited the steak during this process, but don’t worry, the best flavor is still very much in the steak. Drizzle with just a tiny touch of olive oil, as this will help the steak reintegrate some moisture as you let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes (make sure you remove the steak onto a cutting board or it will continue cooking in the skillet). 

While your steak is resting, slice the rinsed cherub tomatoes in half, placing them in a tin foil “basket” and lightly salt them, then seal the basket into a steam pot (pictured below, to the right of the steak).

Place the steam pot of tomatoes on the grill for about ten minutes. This will help reduce the resulting “sweat” from the tomatoes into a tangy, acidic glaze for both our steak and the cauliflower. Now that you’ve let that steak rest, it’s time to sear the outside. Once your grill is up to around 325 around 4 inches above the coals (if you can’t keep your hand hovering above the grill’s grate for more than about a second, you’re probably on the money), slap that steak down and don’t touch it for 2 minutes, allowing those heavenly char lines to imprint themselves onto your ribeye. Flip your steak and leave it for another 2 minutes. Right after this flip is the time to steam your cauliflower for 5 and a half minutes in the microwave. Pull the steak off and let it rest on the cutting board again.

As your steak is resting, use the cast iron skillet you used in the oven and melt the butter into the skillet over medium heat. Add the fresh garlic, pinch of cinnamon and drizzle just a splash of olive oil and infuse the garlic into the butter. When the garlic begins to brown, place your steak in this glorious bath of flavor and tilt the skillet towards you, gathering the butter, garlic and oil for you to spoon and drench your steak for an additional two minutes. 

Immediately remove steak back to cutting board to rest for two minutes before slicing and preparing to plate over your bed of cauliflower. Resting is pivotal to allow the steak to recoup the juices that heat forces out for the first two rest periods, and this third one ensures clean, sharp cuts can be made across the grain to provide the most tender bites of steak you have ever made yourself.

Optional corn: Once you’ve lit your coals, place your ears of corn on the grill after removing about half of the husk’s layers and de-silking the tip of each ear. The corn will essentially need to cook for about 30 minutes, being rotated regularly to ensure even heating and preventing the husk (which should be slightly damp before grilling, from catching on fire and ruining your corn. This picture shows how my corn looked moments before removing it from my 22″ Weber Original Kettle grill.

This picture shows how my corn looked moments before removing it from my 22″ Weber Original Kettle grill. I find this to be delicious as-is, without adding any butter or seasoning, but how you eat your corn is your business.

Grilled corn and chickpea salad.