…creamy, cheesy, spicy and you won’t need to spend hours picking it out of your teeth…
Of all the foods I could have developed an aversion to whilst I was pregnant, I never expected it to be Mexican food. I mean, it’s my absolute favourite – the cheese, the spice, the mess (not to mention the fact that it’s a doddle to cook, flexible and holds up well as leftovers)… I love it. But then around five months in to cooking Elsie, I made tacos, took maybe three or four bites… and then wanted to throw the whole lot up.
I thought I’d breezed through the whole aversion phase of pregnancy with nothing but a weird hatred for my husband’s hand soap (…great timing, it being the height of the pandemic and all). But nope, my favourite food was suddenly off limits, and continued to be off limits until Elsie had spent five months on the outside.
Thankfully, now that she’s nine months I’m making up for lost time – and always looking for new ways of levelling-up Taco Tuesdays in our house.
Sweetcorn has always been a favourite side of ours, but I’ve never done much to it other than empty a can, or slather a cob in butter before throwing it on the barbecue. However, a few years ago whilst on holiday I tried Elote. Elote, or Mexican Street Corn, are corn cobs that are grilled and then – still hot – juiced up with a creamy, spicy cheese sauce. (If that description alone didn’t hook you in, then we can’t be friends.) They’re absolutely delicious, but a bit messy and you’ll probably walk away with cheese dribbling down your chin and husks stuck in your teeth. Totally worth it, but if you’re looking for a slightly neater, more refined version, then this one’s for you.
Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
serves 4
Ingredients
- 250g can of sweetcorn, drained
- 1 shallot, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp chipotle chilli paste
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- chopped coriander to serve
- grated cheese (traditionally Cotija, ideally something crumbly like or pecorino, or at a push, grated cheddar)
Method
- Gently heat the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter in a large frying pan, then add the garlic paste and chopped shallot. Fry on medium heat until the onion starts to brown.
- Next, add the chipotle chilli paste, dijon mustard, ground cumin, smoked paprika and lemon juice, stirring gently to coat the onion.
- Pour in the sweetcorn, another tablespoon of butter and the sour cream. Stir until the sweetcorn has warmed through and become creamy – coated with the spice mix.
- Remove from the heat, then serve tossed with the cheese and chopped coriander. 🙂
Have a lovely week guys!
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