Farmhouse Delivery: D.F. Style Corn-on-the-Cob

cucumbers, cremini mushrooms, lima beans, butternut squash, corn, pears, mixed heirloom peppers, kohlrabi microgreens, tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash

I have been working my butt off. I will spare you the details of my job, but suffice it to say I had to really muster the energy and will to cook these past couple of weeks... and that is saying a lot. It is normally a form of relaxation for me. I started out somewhat ambitious, tackling some favorites that I had never tried making myself before. My paella and chocolate mole were good, but they sure taste a whole lot better when eaten across the Atlantic ocean or on the other side of the U.S.-Mexico border. I also tried one of the recipes (Mama Grande's Rice) from last April's Texas Monthly article, "Home Plates" about some signature Texas dishes. I had vowed to try all the recipes back when I first got it—I am slow to the punch sometimes—and I gotta say, it's not the best Mexican rice recipe out there. All three of these dishes were good, just not WOW, which is what I wanted. So I will keep trying there.

I did make some excellent D.F.-style corn-on-the-cob, though, which is pretty hard to screw up as long as your ingredients are good. I know, I know, it exists elsewhere in Mexico, and in the states, but I associate it with Mexico City, or D.F., which is where I first had it. It tastes better when it is served by a little old woman on a bright red boat covered in flowers and floating on the waters of Xochimilco, but it is possible to make a passing replication in your own kitchen.

By the end of this two-week span, I was resorting to some super-easy, quick, and tried and true meals that required very little thought or time commitment, including one I have always called "Throw a bunch of S--- in a Pan and Cross Your Fingers That It Tastes Good." Doc informed me that the proper name for this dish is actually "Budget Bingo," which I like so I'm adopting it.



So this may or may not be my most inspired collection of meals made from Farmhouse Delivery, but it is a testament that despite exhaustion and lack of general gusto, you can still eat well.

• seafood paella (using tomatoes and lima beans)

• falafel sliders with shawarma pickles
• stewed lima beans

• Fattoush

• corn and squash frittata

 

•  balsamic corn salsa

 

•  fried squash

 

• roasted butternut squash with mushroom cream sauce, adapted from this Farmhouse Delivery recipe

• "Budget Bingo" with zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, Italian sausage, egg, and Colby-Jack cheese... which by the way, was good

okra and cantaloupe from the Denton Farmer's market

• D.F. Style Corn-on-the-Cob, recipe below
• Mama Grande's Rice, recipe from Texas Monthly
• Chocolate Mole with chicken (using 1 tomato and peppers), recipe adapted from David Lebovitz

The mole has to be the most unphotogenic thing I've ever made... a woman in the break room at work the next day actually recoiled from my leftovers when she saw them... ha! Tasted good though.

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D.F. Style Corn-on-the-Cob

Yield: 4 servings

• 4 ears corn-on-the-cob
• 1 lime, quartered lengthwise
• mayonaise
• chili powder
• cojita cheese, crumbled

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Insert corn, with husks and silks, and boil for about 5 minutes or until cooked through (test with a fork).
2. Remove from water and let cool until cool enough to handle. Peel back husks—the silks should come right off—and cut off the end with a sharp knife.
3. Insert a wooden dowel or corn cob holder into the cut end.
4. Squeeze 1 slice of lime and rub over 1 ear of corn. Spread with mayo then sprinkle with the chili powder and cheese.
5. Repeat this with the other 3 ears of corn.
6. Put on some mariachi music, eat.