I absolute love old Southern food. It makes me feel so comforted. I feel in touch with my past by cooking the foods of my ancestors. I can almost see my great grandmother standing over the stove cooking the same dishes for her family. There is something so intimate about sharing your history through food.
Creamed corn is an old-fashioned Southern favorite in every sense. It uses ingredients easily found locally with simple flavors that pack a huge punch. It's a amazing what a little bacon grease can do. I added in the bite of cayenne, and it makes all the difference! This is not intended to be a sweet creamed corn, although those versions exist too. This is a smoky creamed corn with a spicy bite in the background, and just enough sugar to enhance the corn flavor, not mask it.
6 ears of corn*
2 TB bacon grease (no subs!)
1/2c of water **
1/2 - 3/4c milk
1 rounded tsp sugar
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
generous amount of salt and pepper to taste
2 TB flour
*or about 3 cups or less of frozen corn. No canned!
**If using frozen corn, use water reserved from briefly boiling corn to thaw.
Procedure
1. Scrape off corn kernels, if using fresh corn. If using frozen corn, cover corn with water in a pan and bring to a boil, uncovered. Boil for 3 minutes to thaw.
2. Heat a pan over medium heat. Meanwhile, blend together milk, water, flour, sugar, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Stir in corn.
3. Once pan is hot, add oil. Once oil is hot, pour in corn mixture.
4. Cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring very frequently to prevent sticking or clumping. If the mixture becomes too thick, simply add additional milk or water.
5. Towards the end of the cooking time, taste and adjust seasoning as appropriate.
6. Serve with another old-fashioned Southern favorite, such as pork chops, fried chicken, pork neck bones, navy bean soup, or anything else your heart may desire. Yum, yum, yum!
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