Chargrilled Corn with Chilli, Garlic Butter
This Little Pig has recently found that it is passionately in love with the humble corn cob. Once you pop you just can’t stop when it comes to fresh corn piglets. Turn your eyes from the frozen packet variety and try your hand at the real deal. It gently sweetens a dish, adds a bit of crunch and colour and in general makes the world a better place.
You can carve corn up and throw it into a creamy potato salad or have it whole slathered with butter and salt as a side to your mains. Whatever you choose to do, rejoice in these golden nuggets of deliciousness, for they are so glorious. Now this dish is in fact the perfect entrée for a group of friends. I say friends, because when you eat corn, you get it all through your teeth and it is only with friends that you can point this fact out to each other. If you are entertaining acquaintances, This Little Pig recommends sticking to something safe like cheese and hummus or a nice pumpkin soup for starters.
Anyway roll up your casual linen blouse (that includes you too boys) and fire up the BBQ. This recipe is absolutely guaranteed to knock the socks off friends and family (not that family and friends should be wearing the type of shoe that requires socks at such an intimate and causal soirée).
Chargrilled Corn with Chilli, Garlic Butter
Feeds: 4 Hungry Piglets (as a starter)
Prep Time: 5 Mins. Cooking Time: 15 Mins.
Ingredients of Golden Glory:
4 x Corn Cobs (with their groovy green jackets on)
1 x Red Chilli
100g x Butter
½ x Tsp Paprika
¼ x Tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
½ x Tsp Salt
1 x Coriander Bunch
2 x Garlic Cloves
A brush to brush on this glorious mixture (can use a paper towel if you’re a really skint piglet a.k.a a poorswine. Eh? Eh? Did you get that? Porcine? Ok, never-mind).
Method of Golden Chargrilled Glory:
- Turn your BBQ grill plates on to a high heat until hot to trot.
- Pop your corn into the microwave for 4 mins on high or until cooked through and juuust soft when you squeeze it (don’t burn your trotter testing this piglet).
- Put your red chilli between the palm of your hands (as if you’re praying), now roll it back and forth like a play dough snake (or as if you’re cold), nice and firmly.
- Apart from warming up your hands, this loosens the seeds.
- Now chop off his head and bang the open end firmly on the board and all his seeds should leap out of the chilli with enthusiasm.
- Roughly chop your chilli (1).
- Skin and dice your garlic (2).
- Chop your butter (100g) into cubes.
- Rip the coriander leaves off the stem and divide in half.
- In a whizzer, place your butter (100g), chilli (1), garlic (2), paprika (1/2 Tsp) and half of your coriander. Whiz until combined.
- Peel your corn’s jacket back – but keep it attached. Use one of the leaves to wrap around the other leaves and tuck it back in so all the leaves are bunched up like a posey of flowers. This becomes your turning handle.
- Once the BBQ is raring to go, place your corn cobs onto the grill and turning around every 30 seconds, cook until gently charred on all sides (around 8-10 mins). As you rotate the corn, take your brush and gently brush them with your garlic and chilli butter.
- Once ready, remove from the heat and lay onto a lovely serving platter. Baste once more with the remmants of your chilli and garlic butter and scatter over your salt (1/2 Tsp), dried chilli flakes (1/4 Tsp) and fresh coriander leaves.
- Serve with a flourish and some toothpicks. Now that’s summery entrée goodness right there.
