Estia’s Little Kitchen in Sag Harbor serves up American food with a Southwestern influence. Chef Colin Ambrose has been a staple in the Hamptons for decades and is known for food that is locally sourced and grown —some from the garden on the grounds of the restaurant! Estia’s is a recipient of one of SFEE’s earliest Snail of Approval awards. Enjoy his recipe for Mexican Sweet Corn Chowder.
|serves a crowd|
Add ingredients in a large pot:
20 corn cobs – ( remove corn from cobs first and save kernels for later)
Bring 2 gallons of water to a simmer then add:
- 1 lb unsalted butter
- 1 quart half and half
- 1 large white onion – chopped
- 3 bunch cilantro, stems included (rinsed twice)
- 20 poblano chilis – (cut peppers in half and don’t remove seeds or stems)
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- Add corn cobs
Simmer for 45 minutes uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Remove corn cobs.
Blend all remaining ingredients at medium speed in Vita-mix until smooth. Place in large shallow pans (2-6 inch deep hotel pans), add the raw corn kernels and then chill.
To serve: Bring soup to a simmer. Fry corn tortillas cut into strips. Garnish with queso fresco or feta cheese and a sprig of cilantro.
Estia’s Mexican Sweet Corn Chowder
18 Bay Three Sisters Succotash
Ingredients
- 6 ears local corn
- 2 cups yellow wax beans or string beans, ends trimmed, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces*
- Large butternut squash, diced into 1 inch cubes*
- 2 shallots minced
- 1 bunch thyme picked and light chopped
- 4 tablespoons high quality extra virgin olive oil (this is a good occasion to use the good stuff)
- Crushed red pepper and salt
Method
Cut kernels off of 4 ears of corn off the cob. In a separate bowl grate kernels from the remaining 2 ears of corn using a box grater, creating a milky pulp.
Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large saute pan on medium heat. Add the cubed squash and cook on medium heat stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and browning on the sides. Then add the cut corn, stirring and cooking until the corn is bright yellow and aromatic. Add shallot and thyme to the pan, followed by beans and salt and crushed red pepper
When the shallots are translucent and the thyme brighter and aromatic add the grated corn. Stirring and folding the grated corn pulp is key to the texture. Don’t let the mixture settle and stick to the bottom of the pan.
As soon as the mixture is warmed through, remove from the heat and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, retaining the fresh corn flavor.
This can be served as a side dish with meat or fish or as a vegetarian option.
This can also be baked in a buttered casserole dish and topped with cheese as a side dish.
*The squash and bean components of the recipe can be changed to reflect the season and availability.
ENJOY!