Chef Ottolenghi's Corn Cakes
- 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal or masa harina
- 1 1/4 cups corn kernels cut from ears of corn
- 1 small shallot, diced
- 1/2 jalapeño pepper, diced finely with seeds removed
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly smashed
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup whole fat milk or goat yogurt
- 3 tbsps olive oil (plus additional for frying the cakes)
- 3 eggs, separated
- 4 cups arugula for garnishes
- cup cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Corn Cakes:
In a large bowl, mix cornmeal or polenta with corn, shallots, jalapeño, cumin, salt and pepper. Add yogurt, 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil and one egg yolk. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully fold the whites into the corn batter in two stages and let rest five minutes. Heat large frying pan over meidum heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1 teaspon olive oil. Once hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of corn batter into the pan. Repeat until pan is full. Cook cakes 2-3 minutes or until golden. Flip and cook 1 minute, until golden. Transfer to paper-lined tray. Makes about 16 corn cakes.
Salad & Serving:
Make the salad dressing by whisking 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss arugula with chopped cilantro. Add dressing and toss again. Season to taste. Serve corn cakes with a spoonful of sour cream along with a portion of greens. If serving as an hors d'oeuvre, scatter cilantro over the cakes before serving.
