PWN1112

NOVEMBER 12, 2020
It’s the right time for corn
By James P. DeWan
Chicago Tribune
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 7
Obituaries
If you believe Rodgers and
Hammerstein, apparently the
great state of Oklahoma once
teemed with thundering herds
of elephants.
Starting each spring, from
the dusty plains of Grainola
in the north to the equally
dusty plains of Gene Autry
in the south _ seems they’re
fairly rotten with dusty plains
down there _ these tusked
and terrifying beasts wrought
naught but death and destruction
across the land until late
summer, when the corn crops
grew high enough to block
their sight lines. Thus blinded
_ the corn being as high as
an elephant’s eye _ they’d
abandon their stampede to
hibernate through the unrelenting
Oklahomaic winters.
Once again, corn saves the
day. All hail, mighty, mighty
corn.
Why you need to learn this
Your corn crib is busting
at the seams, filled to the rafters,
stuffed to the gills. What
to make with all that corn?
Besides your lip-smacking,
homemade high fructose corn
syrup, that is.
The steps you take
First off, let’s be clear: It’s
late summer. Fresh sweet corn
is as common as Cincinnati
street pigs, so, for now, can we
eschew the canned and frozen
numbers?
Now, for those of us of
solid Midwestern stock (Not
to brag, but a recent DNA
test traces my lineage back
37,000 years to the backseat
of a Rambler parked outside a
tavern in Carbondale, Illinois),
you’ll be possessed of an almost
psychotic love for corn
on the cob. Boiled, roasted or
grilled, dripping with melted
butter, seasoned with salt and
speckled with pepper, what
could possibly be better?
On the other hand, as the
lion I met outside the vegan
carryout joint told me, shrugging
his shoulders, “Hey,
sometimes you just get
tired of antelope.” “Yeah,” I
laughed, “but wait; lions have
shoulders?”
You too, then, might want to
try something nonantelope-ish
on your corn on the cob.
Consider:
1. Compound butter. Soften
some butter, then mix in something
flavorful: minced fresh
herbs, garlic, anchovies, olives
_ you get the picture.
2. Olive oil. Mix it with
other fresh ingredients (as
above), or stir in a bit of something
delicious like pesto or
tapenade or cheese spread.
3. Mayonnaise. Spread
it, then dust it with cheese.
Mexican versions often use
cotija, but if you use Parmesan
or Romano, that surely will
PHOTO | TERRENCE ANTONIO JAMES
Cutting kernels from the cob can be a messy chore. But standing
the ear up in a bowl means the kernels will gather there instead
of all over your cutting board and countertop.
not rend the sky asunder. Try
some cayenne or chile powder,
too, or chopped cilantro and a
squeeze of lime.
4. Cultured dairy. Use yogurt
or sour cream like the
mayo or just fold yummy
things into it. Think thematically,
like crumbled feta,
oregano and lemon juice like
you’re Zorba the Greek. Or,
cue up some A.R. Rahman on
the Spotify and mix in some
cumin, garam masala and a bit
of cayenne along with a splash
of lime.
And salt. Don’t forget the
salt.
You get the picture. If your
corn is salted properly, the
other ingredients will adhere
to the mildly flavored white
goo, turning your corn into a
creamy, savory, well-seasoned
ticket to paradise.
Still, perhaps you, being the
cultured type, prefer not to eat
with your hands. In that case,
the first thing you’ll want to
do is remove the kernels from
the cob. It’s easy and messy:
1. Use your nonknife hand
to stand a shucked ear on your
cutting board or in a large
bowl, like Lucy holding the
football for Charlie Brown.
Starting halfway up, cut down
along the cob with a chef’s
knife, releasing the kernels
onto the cutting board. After
each cut, rotate the cob toward
you and repeat until you’ve
gone all the way around. Flip
the corn over and repeat.
2. If you want to be really
cool, do this: Use the back
of the knife to scrape down
the newly naked cob. This
squeezes out any remaining
pulp and liquid _ some wags
call this the “corn milk.” Add
it to whatever you’re making
with the corn.
Now, let’s use that corn.
Here are three good, general
suggestions, all with the added
bonus of being good band
names:
Raw. Super sweet corn _
it’s everywhere this time of
year _ you don’t even need to
cook. Use it raw in salads or
salsas or sprinkle it along with
crumbled bacon on vanilla ice
cream.
Soup and Other Liquids.
No, I’m not talking about
corn squeezin’s, Li’l Abner.
(For you youngsters out there,
“corn-squeezin’s” means liquor,
and Li’l Abner was a
popular comic strip created
by Al Capp in 1934, based on
offensive stereotypes of that
group of Americans known insultingly
as “hillbillies.”)
First off, there’s corn stock.
It’s like meat stock, without
the gore. After removing the
kernels, cover the cobs in
water and simmer them for an
hour-ish to extract the flavor.
For deeper flavor, add aromatics
like onion, carrot and
celery, and herbs like parsley,
thyme and bay leaf. Use this
as a base for soups or sauces,
or just season it with salt and
drink it warm like the psychopath
you are.
Or, make corn chowder:
Crisp some bacon lardons and
set them aside, then sweat
diced aromatics in the bacon
fat. Add your corn and corn
stock (or water or chicken
stock) to cover. Simmer
until the corn is tender, then
pulse it in a blender to make
it smooth-ish and thick-ish.
Season it with salt, finish it
with cream and garnish with
the reserved bacon. Yum.
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Irene Gloria Demoulas, 95
1925 - 2020
ANDOVER - Matriarch of Demoulas/Market
Basket Family
Dies at 95.
Irene Gloria (Psoinos) Demoulas,
95, widow of Telemachus A.
(Mike) Demoulas, Supermarket
Founder and Philanthropist,
passed away peacefully on
November 4th at her home surrounded
by her children.
Proud of her Greek heritage,
Irene was born in Lowell on
September 10th, 1925, the
daughter of the late George
and Gloria (Tsouprakakis) Psoinos
and was a lifelong member
of the Holy Trinity Greek
Orthodox Church of Lowell.
Married for 54 years, she
and her husband established
the Demoulas Foundation
and the Telemachus and Irene
Demoulas Family Charitable
Trust, which contributes to
many community organizations
throughout New England as
well as Massachusetts General
Hospital, Children’s Hospital
and Lowell General Hospital.
Widely admired for her dignity,
elegance and grace she was
a loving and devoted mother,
grandmother, and great
grandmother of four children,
14 grandchildren and 8 great
grandchildren.
She is survived by Frances
Irene Demoulas and her husband
Michael Kettenbach of
Boston, Glorianne Demoulas
and her husband Robert
Farnham of North Andover, Arthur
T. Demoulas and his wife
Maureen Demoulas of Lowell
and Caren Demoulas and her
husband Joseph Pasquale of
Weston; 14 grandchildren,
Stories live on.
Tell theirs.
Share your loved one’s story.
obituaries@itemlive.com | 781-593-7700
In partnership with
Cara Irene Kettenbach and her
husband Josh Nutter, Michael
Telemachus Kettenbach and
his wife Kelly, Edward Arthur
Kettenbach and his wife Katherine,
Irene Danielle Callahan
and her husband Gregory, Catherine
Lee and Robert Telemachus
Farnham, Madeline Irene,
Telemachus Arthur, Irene Gloria
and Mary Catherine Demoulas,
Telemachus Andréa, Irene
Canella, Joseph Arthur and
Danielle Kay Pasquale; 8 great
grandchildren, Michael Edward
Nutter, Wyatt Telemachus, Catherine
Elizabeth and Theodore
Tyler Kettenbach and Sophia
Irene, Anna Joan, Rose Catherine
and Declan James Callahan.
Service Information: All
Services were held privately
for the family. E-condolences
at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements
by the O’DONNELL FUNER-
AL HOME – LOWELL- MA-
(978) 458-8768.