Oaxacan-Style Corn on the Cob (Summer Corn 4 Ways)

Corn is probably my very favorite thing about summer, which is why the next four posts on my blog, starting with this one, are going to be dedicated to the sweet, versatile, yellow vegetable!

For the first corn dish, I decided to make a Mexican-style grilled corn. Unfortunately for me, I don’t own a grill (at least not one any larger than one you might pack for a small camping trip). If you, like me, are also grill-less, roasting them in the oven will produce a similar result (albeit with less smoky flavor); however, if you do happen to own one (lucky you!) you will skip the second step in this recipe, and just char your corn on your grill.

I feel like corn on the cob is something that a lot of people don’t imagine can be dressed up. Hopefully, this dish can prove to you otherwise :]! There are a lot of flavors going on here: sweet, crunchy corn, spicy, creamy crema mexicana, salty cotija cheese, and zippy, fresh lime juice. It’s a party in your mouth! This is a great dish to whip up for cook-outs because it’s quick and impressive. Just grill or roast the corn, add the spiced crema mexicana to a squeeze bottle, slice up some limes, put the cotija in a bowl, and let everyone have at it!

Oaxacan-Style Corn on the Cob

recipe slightly adapted from here

ingredients:

• 2-4 ears of corn
• 1 tbsp crema mexicana
• 1 1/2 tbsp cotija cheese + more for sprinkling, crumbled
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/4 tsp chili powder (recipe below)
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 4 lime wedges
• cilantro, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Shuck the outer leaves of the corn, and the inner stringy parts, but leave on the innermost leaves and wrap them back around the corn.
2. Place the corn on a sheet pan and roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until the outer leaves have browned.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the creme mexicana, cotija, salt, chili powder, and lime zest, transfer to a squeeze bottle, if you desire.
4. Peel the leaves back from the corn and serve with the creme mexicana mixture, extra cotija, lime wedges, and cilantro, to garnish.

Chili Powder

recipe adapted from here

Now, while it is perfectly acceptable to buy your chili powder from the store, I couldn’t seem to locate any in the craziness that is my spice cabinet, thus, I decided to whip some up. Because it is so simple, I’m sharing it with you!

ingredients:

• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp cayenne
• 2 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp garlic powder

1. Combine all of the ingredients, and store in a sealed container.