Tag Archives: corn

Elotes and Pineapple Salad , Ensalada de Elotes con Piña

This is our favorite Summer Salad, Elotes Salad or Mexican Street corn Salad with pineapple. It’s basically Mexican Street Corn that you can eat with a spoon rather than digging into a whole corn on the cob covered with Cotija, paprika etc…which can be a challenge, except that I have added some grilled pineapple.
This is a great salad to serve at your next Barbeque, or as we like to do, add it to Tacos and even pile it high on Burgers. So SO good!
It’s very simple, you start by grilling corn and fresh pineapple and once they are cooled you cut off the kernels carefully with a sharp knife, then toss together with the pineapple chunks in a simple dressing.

Prep time : 15 min
Cooking time : 10 min
Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS:

6 ears of Corn
1/3- 1/2 of a fresh pineapple, peeled and sliced thick-ish (see note*)
2 scallions, sliced
1 small red onion, peeled and chopped fine
1 small red chili pepper, deseeded and chopped fine
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese (see note**)
½ cup coarsely chopped cilantro, more for on top

Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup crème fraiche
Juice of 1 lime, or more according to taste
A few dashes of Tabasco ( or Franks hot sauce)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, more for on top
Salt and pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat (an outdoor) grill or grill pan to medium heat. Clean your corn if necessary and rub all over with a little oil. Place on the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes. Do the same with the Pineapple slices. Remove them once cooked from the grill and let them cool.
Meanwhile mix mayonnaise, crème fraiche, lime juice, tabasco and paprika together in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Cut the kernels off the cob, and cut the pineapple slices into bite-size pieces
Get out a pretty bowl and combine everything… the corn, pineapple, onion, scallions, chili peppers, Cotija cheese, cilantro, and dressing. Reserve some cilantro and Cotija to sprinkle on top.

Enjoy!

* Any left-over Pineapple is great grilled and then served with ice-cream as a dessert.
** If you can’t find Cotija, I think that Feta resembles it most, it has a similar texture and taste.

If you make this Elotes salad, be sure to leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you and if you love it, pin it. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! @thecookingspoonblog or hashtag it #thecookingspoonblog

Chicken and Corn Soup with crispy Bacon

6 Replies

We are so ready for soup season, this delicious chunky chicken and corn soup is one of our favourites. It’s hearty, filling, comforting and loaded with veggies and lots of corn. Topped with some crumbled crispy bacon and served with crusty French bread, what’s not to love. It’s the perfect soup for this time of year using summer corn but also comforting enough for Fall.

Prep time : 10 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Serves : 6

INGREDIENTS:

¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine
1 red bell pepper, cleaned and cut into dice (reserve some for serving)
1 large carrot, cut into dice
1 celery stick, chopped
1 leek, rinsed clean and sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
¼ cup flour
6 cups chicken stock
2 stock cubes
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
1 ½ cup corn kernels, drained (reserve some for serving)
1 cup double cream
8 rashers bacon, cooked crisp and drained on kitchen paper
Handful of chopped parsley to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, pepper, carrot, celery and leek. Cook on medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Add the flour and stir to combine completely before adding the stock a little at a time, stirring to combine as you add. Pour in all the stock.

Add 2 stock cubes, crumbled up and stir until dissolved.

Add the chicken and corn and continue to cook until veggies are tender, about 15 minutes. Finally add the cream and leave to simmer until the soup is piping hot.

To serve , ladle soup into pretty bowl and sprinkle with reserved parsley, red bell pepper, and corn. Crumble some bacon over the top and serve with lots of crusty bread.

Enjoy!

Myra

Mexican Pulled Beef with Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread

20 Replies

Mexican Pulled Beef with Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread, comfort food at its best!

Ingredients Chili;

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2.5 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2 thick slices
1 tsp. Himalayan salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. All Purpose Unbleached Flour
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
2 tbsp. Unsweetened Cocoa (this is a must)
2 tbsp. ground Cumin
2 tbsp. sweet smoked paprika
¼ cup tomato paste
2 Tablespoon fresh oregano leafs or 2 teaspoon dried
1/2 tsp. dried Thyme
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste
1/4 C. Chopped Coriander
1 (15-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 C. beef stock
1-2 tbsp. Liquid Smoke
1 – 2 tsp. chopped chipotle (depending on how hot you like it)
1 tbsp. coconut sugar or sweetener of choice
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp. fresh Coriander leafs

Toppings; scallions, avocado chunks, sour cream, cheddar cheese, fried onion rings

Method;

Turn on your slow cooker, set to high.

Meanwhile heat a large frying pan and add 3 tbsp. of oil. Season the beef with the salt and pepper and toss with the flour. Sear the beef on both sides and brown until quite dark. Transfer to the slow cooker

Next fry the onions in the pan with the remaining oil until golden add the garlic and cook for an other minute. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker, except the beans and Coriander leafs

Cook on high for 4 hours. After three hours add the beans. The cooking time depends on your slow cooker and the quality of the beef. So just check by pulling away a piece of beef with a fork. If it loosens easily transfer the beef to a cutting board or large platter. Leaving the beans in the pot. Pull the beef apart into chunky bits and shreds with two forks. Return to slow cooker. Heat thoroughly again for about half an hour until ready to serve. Sprinkle generously with fresh Coriander leafs. Serve with Pumpkin Corn Bread and lots of toppings.