This cycle our Cook the Books group has been reading Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking, a Memoir of Food and Longing. Author Anya von Bremzen recalls her early life decade by decade in the now defunct communist USSR and her eventual immigration to the US when she and her mother fled Brezhnev-era Russia and arrived in Philadelphia.
The book was a bit tough to get through with all the Russian words and especially its references to obscure public figures. But the stories about her family and experiences were fascinating, especially her adventures in the kitchen with her mother.
She recounts in Chapter Six that the 60’s were remembered by Russians for one of the worst crop failures of an era. Titled “Corn and Communism”, she describes the scarcity and miserable condition of food when it could scrounged. People spat at piles of canned corn, saying “all corn and no bread”. Someone in the Kremlin dubbed corn “the new czarina of Russian fields”. Somehow I’m doubtful.
Quite a difference from my annual obsession with fresh corn picked that day at my favorite farmstead.
Whenever I go to one of our neighborhood summer gatherings, I make sure to bring my Indian corn pudding casserole. I always leave with an empty dish. It feeeds a crowd and in fact is an easy dish to make dish that can be baked in advance and reheated.
Summer gatherings are all about no fuss. It’s already grilling season now, so the major themes are side dishes. Someone else can cook the meat. Fresh corn works very well, from grilled in the husk, to ears served slathered with cheese Mexican style, to a dish we love in Delaware called succotash, made with another Delaware favorite, lima bean.
My favorite though is the corn casserole. It’s got great texture, sweet taste and stays moist so it will hold well even if reheated. And because one adds the egg yolks and beaten whites separately it feels like a souffle without the fuss.
Indian Corn Pudding
A great dish to take to a summer event. Can be made ahead and reheated.
Ingredients:
4 cups corn kernels, 3 cups processed or thawed if frozen
1 ½ cup milk
1 cup diced onion. 1 clove garlic
1 small can chilies
4 eggs, separated
¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup sour cream
¼ cup masa harina or flour
1 tsp sugar, salt and pepper
Preparation;
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray into 9x13 inch casserole dish. In food processor, puree 3 cups of the corn. Set aside. In a medium skillet, sauté onions and and salt. Add garlic the end. Combine onion mix, chilis, pureed corn, salt, egg yolks, sour cream, masa harina and sugar. Separately beat egg whites till frothy.. Gently fold egg whites into mixture and add whole kernels at the end to top it off. Bake until center is just set, around 40 minutes. Serve warm.
This is my contribution to the current edition of Cook the Books, being hosted by the lovely Simona of Briciole.
