A8 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
CORN:
SUMMER’S
SWEET GIFT
BY ANGELA SHELF
MEDEARIS
THE KITCHEN DIVA
Y
esterday, my sister
gave me half of the
bag of fresh, sweet
corn she’d purchased at
the market. Corn is best
eaten as soon as possible
after harvesting, as its
sugar converts to starch.
To show my thanks, I
husked all of the corn. I
decided I’d use my share
in a variety of differ-
ent ways: roasted on the
cob, as creamed corn and
shelled in recipes like my
Zesty Chicken With Fresh
Corn, Baby Spinach and
Fettucine.
Corn was grown by
Native Americans long
before the arrival of
Christopher Columbus.
Over thousands of years,
Native Americans used
special cultivation meth-
ods to transform maize
into the domesticated
plant and the wide vari-
eties of corn that we eat
today.
Sweet corn is sold by
color, not variety. Our
colors are white, yellow
and bi-color (white and
yellow mixed). Sweet
corn has been bred to
have higher levels of nat-
ural sugars, one of the
reasons it is so popular.
Sweet corn is one of
the few vegetables that
is a good source of the
kind of slowly digested
carbohydrate that gives
you long-lasting ener-
gy. It also is an excellent
source of dietary fiber,
and it contains vitamin
C, along with niacin and
folate — two of the B
group vitamins. It’s also
a good source of potassi-
um, and can help balance
the body’s fluids if you
eat salty foods.
Here are a few tips for
selecting an ear of corn:
• Cobs should be fully
filled, i.e. covered in corn
kernels
• Kernels should be
bright, plump and show
no signs of wrinkling
• The leaves of the
husk should be intact,
fresh, green and not spot-
ted or damaged
• Cobs should be free
of disease and insects
• Sweet corn should be
free of any foul odors.
Store corn in the husk
in the vegetable crisper
or in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator. Corn is best
eaten within one day of
purchase, which is a good
excuse for eating one
of summer’s sweet gifts
right away!
— Angela Shelf Me-
dearis is an award-win-
ning children’s author,
culinary historian and
the author of seven cook-
books. Her new cookbook
is “The Kitchen Diva’s
Diabetic Cookbook.”
Her website is www.
divapro.com. To see how-
to videos, recipes and
much, much more, Like
Angela Shelf Medearis,
The Kitchen Diva! on
Facebook. Recipes may
not be reprinted without
permission from Angela
Shelf Medearis
COMMUNITY
KITCHEN DIVA PHOTO
Sweet corn has been bred to have higher levels of natural sugars, one of the reasons it is so popular. It also is an ex-
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ZESTY CHICKEN
WITH FRESH CORN
12 ounces fettuccine (3/4 box)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces
each)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
4 green onions (white and green parts, roots
discarded), cut into 1/4 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
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1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup corn kernels (from 1 to 2 ears, or frozen)
3/4 cup half-and-half cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach (1 1/2 ounces)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in
a large skillet over medium heat. Season chicken
on both sides with cumin, paprika, sage, 1/2 tea-
spoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
3. Cook chicken until golden brown and
cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer
chicken to plate, cover loosely to keep warm and
set aside.
4. Meanwhile, add remaining tablespoon of
oil to pan. Add green onions, garlic, red pepper
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Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender,
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Add chicken broth and turn heat to high; stir un-
til well-combined and liquid thickens slightly.
5. Turn heat down to low, and add the corn.
Simmer until corn is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir
in half and half.
6. Add pasta and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan
cheese, the nutmeg and remaining 1/2 teaspoon
each salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Fold in
spinach. Top each serving with a chicken breast.
Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese. Serve
with lemon wedges. Serves 4.
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