Corn Macque Choux

Chef John Folse's Corn Macque Choux recipe requires lot's of preparatory chopping and is a little expensive, but this dish is very easy to assemble and will feed the house for several days. Check out my video with music by Yo La Tengo from the album They Shoot We Score - by the way this track is titled Leaving Home and is from the film Old Joy.

 

Here is the recipe in its entirety as published on Folse's public web site:


Corn Macque Choux
Prep Time: 1 hour / Serves: 8

	COMMENT: Although Maque Choux is normally thought of as a corn soup, the River Road Cajuns cooked a similar vegetable flavored with the freshwater shrimp of the Mississippi River. Here is their version of that dish. INGREDIENTS: 8 ears fresh corn 2 cups (150-200 count) shrimp, peeled and de-veined 1/4 cup andouille, finely diced 1/2 cup bacon drippings 1 cup onion, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup red bell pepper, chopped 1/4 cup garlic, diced 2 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped 2 tbsps tomato sauce 1 cup green onions, sliced salt and black pepper to taste METHOD: Select tender, well-developed ears of corn and remove shucks and silk. Using a sharp knife, cut lengthwise through the kernels to remove them from the cob. Scrape each cob using the blade of the knife to remove all milk and additional pulp from the corn. This is important because the richness of the dish will depend on how much milk and pulp can be scraped from the cobs. In a 3-quart cast iron Dutch oven, melt bacon drippings over medium-high heat. Sauté corn, onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic and andouille approximately 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are wilted and corn begins to tenderize. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and shrimp. Continue cooking until juice from the tomatoes and shrimp are rendered into the dish, approximately 15-20 minutes. Add green onions and season to taste using salt and pepper. Continue to cook an additional 15 minutes or until full flavor of corn and shrimp is developed into the dish. Serve as a vegetable or add stock to create soup.