Kalimera!

One of my favourite vegetables is corn. I have always loved it, canned, creamed, frozen, in pies or salads or just by itself – corn is fantastic! But honestly, nothing beats corn on the cob!

I have a childhood memory of visiting my friend from kindergarden, Sami. His family was Greek and they had a ground floor apartment in street very near my home in Frankfurt am Main. I’m not entirely sure how we got there, but I remember standing outside, in the little garden area leading up to their house on a warm spring day and Sami’s mother handing Sami and I corn on the cob, lathered with butter and sugar through her kitchen window. I remember just how happy this simple and delicious gift made me and how I relished eating it, my mouth covered in melted butter, sugar crystals and tiny pieces of corn.

I have eaten corn on the cob with butter and sugar or butter and salt many, many times ever since, but every time I do, I think of Sami and his mother on that warm spring day. It’s 28 years later now, and I wonder what they are up to. Maybe, he has children of his own and maybe his mother, now a grandmother, continues to hand out these beautiful yellow gifts, covered in melted butter and sprinkled with sugar. I hope so.

Nowadays, I don’t make corn on the cob very often. I figure it’s not the healthiest of foods, but every year toward the end of summer, I do indulge in a little more of these than I should.

Recipe
Making corn on the cob is easy – if you stick to a few rules. First off, when buying the corn, ensure it’s fresh. No area of the cob should be dry and the kernels should not look wrinkled or shriveled.

Then, ensure to eat the corn shortly after eating. If you’re not going to eat it soon, then don’t buy it, because it will dry up and lose its flavour when sitting around for too long, even in your fridge. I think this would be very sad.

To cook the corn, place it in a pot of cold water, together with a few tablespoons of sugar. Turn on the heat and wait for the water to get hot. As soon as you can tell that it will boil, you should turn off the heat (or remove the pot from the stove) and let the corn simmer.

The kernels will change colour, going from pale yellow to a more saturated, egg-yolk type yellow. You can check whether the corn is even by poking a tooth pick or a dessert fork into the side of the cob or by carefully taken . This should work without a lot of effort. Place corn on a plate, top with a piece of butter (and ensure the entire cob gets a share) and either add salt or sugar to taste.

Dig in & kalí órexi!