Cornucopia

My lovely friend Holly shared her corn harvest with us when we celebrated the harvest this past weekend.  I made ratatouille (again) and herb bread.  Other friends shared their bounty.  We found a wandering dog, then its owner.  There was a nice fire where we shared what sacred space means to us. Then there was a lot of leftover corn...

Here is my revised corn chowder recipe.  I skipped the cranberry beans since i didn't grow any this year and didn't want to wait to soak dried ones overnight.  I ended up freezing most of it in a bag laid over a cutting board in the freezer until it was solid.  Here's a gluten-free clam cake recipe as well.  Enjoy!

Gluten-Free/Vegetarian Option

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Corn & Bean Chowder

Taste of New England

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Prep: 15 minutes  Cook: 35 minutes  Makes 10 servings 

2 tbs. butter or olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 tbs. whole wheat flour or corn starch

2 cups (gluten-free) chicken or vegetable broth 

2 cups low-fat milk

4 potatoes, washed and diced with skins on

1 cup carrots, cut into half-moons

1 cup fresh cranberry beans (soak dried beans overnight)

3 cups fresh-cooked or frozen corn

10 sliced of bacon, cooked well and drained (optional)

3 tbs. chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne

1 tsp. cumin

1 tbs. brown sugar

1 cup half-and-half or light cream

Melt butter or heat oil over medium heat in large stock pot.  Sauté onions five minutes.  Stir in flour, cooking two minutes.  Slowly pour in broth and milk.  Add potatoes and carrots and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 15 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.  Meanwhile, bring water to boil in sauce pan.  Cook cranberry beans until just soft, about 20-25 minutes.  Reserve.  Add corn and mix with immersion blender (or run half of mixture through blender and return to stock pot).  Crumble in bacon, then stir in drained beans, herbs, spices, sugar, and cream.  Serve immediately.

Gluten-Free/Lower Sodium

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Clam Cakes

Taste of Rhode Island

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Prep: 10 minutes  Cook: 10-15 minutes  Makes 40 cakes

1 egg

1 cup chopped quahog (or clams)

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup milk

1 1/2 cups corn meal

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. garlic powder

oil for frying

What would summer be without Rhode Island clam cakes?  Rather than a heavy, doughy blob, these cook up light and don’t skimp on the seafood.  The carrots add to the sweetness of the seafood.  Steam open quahogs, cool in cold water, and chop.  Beat egg, then add all other ingredients.  Heat about 2” of corn oil in a sauce pan on high.*  When oil sizzles when batter is added, drop one tbs. of batter at a time until a single layer of cakes floats on oil.  Cook one minute, then remove with slotted spoon to paper towels or designated oil towel.     

* I fry cakes in my smallest sauce pan to reduce the amount of oil needed.  In my pan, I can cook five cakes at a time.  After oil cools, it can be strained and kept in the refrigerator for future use.