Make a Golden Stock of Corn Cobs
My love for corn is well known. I’ll eat it for a couple . I’ll eat it with cream . I will remove the golden juicy kernels from the cobs and eat them raw . And when I have only bare ears left, I use these corn sticks to make a banal broth.
While most of the vegetable trimmings are dumped into my general stock bag, the corn cobs are separated. Instead of mixing their summer flavor with a bunch of other foods, I make them a star by adding garlic and letting their banal kindness shine. The result is a savory, sometimes vegan broth that lends a savory seasonal flavor to soups, risottos and sauces. Corn stock can be cooked on the stove top or in a pressure cooker (such as the Instant Pot). To make it you will need:
- Corn cobs (minimum 4 pcs.)
- Enough water to cover the ears
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 bay leaf
Add everything to a large saucepan (or pressure cooker) with enough water to cover the ears. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it bubble and extract common health benefits for at least two hours, until you have a fragrant broth with a beautiful golden hue. If using a pressure cooker, cook at high pressure for 45 minutes.
Strain the broth through a sieve to remove any cobs and residual corn silk, then add to anything that needs corn. I think it makes a particularly good ramen broth, but I don’t mind sipping it from a small mug.