MY HAWAIIAN KITCHEN
Delectable memoirs of living on the slopes of Mt. Hualalai high above the famed Kona Coast on the beguiling Big Island of Hawaii.
Fresh picked corn on the cob has never been so happy!
Dear Journal – Doesn’t fresh, tender corn on the cob take you back to childhood? Simple, straightforward hot summer night munching pleasures. Or as luck might have it, tropical evening lanai munching pleasures. It’s not everywhere on the islands, but when you find some fresh corn in Hawaii, how sweet it is. The other day we happened upon a handful of noisy, laughing keikis (kids) sitting around an old kitchen table that had been plunked roadside at the end of a long bumpy driveway that lead to a tidy aging farmhouse hiding in the shade of a jacaranda . The crooked cardboard sign with happy crayola drawings of a smiling sun, 3 corn cobs partially shucked and lots of happy faces, clearly stated in Sunglow Yellow – FRESH WAIMEA CORN. Without hesitation we bought a dozen cobs from impossibly charming vendors but came away with more than a grocery bag heaped full of corn. Later we enjoyed a gooey, spicy, deliciously creamy salsa brimming with lots of fresh Sunglow Yellow Waimea corn. Tropical evening lanai munching pleasures indeed.
4 tablespoons butter Cut corn from cobs. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Add corn, salt and pepper. Stir to coat kernels with butter and seasonings and cook 4-6 minutes or until corn is bright yellow. Set aside in bowl. In same skillet or pot melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter, Maui onion, red pepper, hot chile and garlic and sauté gently for about 6 minutes. Transfer to bowl with corn. Add mayonnaise, sour cream and ½ of the cheeses. Mix well. Put in 9-inch square baking dish, casserole or glass pie plate. Sprinkle with rest of cheeses. Bake at 350F for 35-45 minutes. Serve hot from the oven with tortilla chips or your favorite dippers. The flavors go pop in your mouth! **Mahalo nui loa Michelle for this delicious family favorite and for all your great test kitchen assistance!**
3 ½ cups corn kernels or 4 ears fresh island corn, or delicious BC peaches and cream corn, or you pick.
½ teaspoon Hawaiian salt or sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 Maui onion, or other mild, sweet onion, finely chopped
½ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 - 2 Hawaiian hot chiles or jalapenos, finely chopped (how hot do you like it?)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup sour cream
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar, shredded