While traveling, we try to eat as the locals eat. Visits to the grocery store are always interesting in a new region. Pickled pigs feet in Tennessee, boudin sausages in Louisiana, jars of cactus in Texas, smoked meat sticks in North Dakota, and meat cases in any new town are always an alien menagerie. Our budget for eating out is small, so when we aren’t eating at an authentic food stop, we compensate by trying to new regional dishes with our own kitchen tools and ingredients from a local grocery store.
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, I picked up a free magazine on what to do in the area. It featured an article about Elote En Vaca, or corn in a cup. A staple of Southwestern cuisine, this simple dish is basically corn cooked in butter with peppers and onions, and sometimes topped with cheese or sour cream and hot sauce. I knew we had some corn in the freezer, so we gave it a try!
In Las Cruces, New Mexico, I picked up a free magazine on what to do in the area. It featured an article about Elote En Vaca, or corn in a cup. A staple of Southwestern cuisine, this simple dish is basically corn cooked in butter with peppers and onions, and sometimes topped with cheese or sour cream and hot sauce. I knew we had some corn in the freezer, so we gave it a try!
- 2 Cups Frozen Corn
- 1 Jalapeño, finely diced
- 1/2 an onion, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- juice of 1/2 a lime, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese
Put all ingredients, except the cheese, in a pan and let simmer on low until everything is tender and the flavors all mix together, about ten minutes. I cooked this over the campfire, which imparted some smokiness to the corn.
As it begins to cook, water is released from the frozen corn. Let this evaporate, allowing the corn to fry in the butter. After about ten to fifteen minutes on the fire, squeeze a little more lime juice on the corn, then top it with the cotija cheese.
As it begins to cook, water is released from the frozen corn. Let this evaporate, allowing the corn to fry in the butter. After about ten to fifteen minutes on the fire, squeeze a little more lime juice on the corn, then top it with the cotija cheese.
In the meantime, I also cooked a pan of nachos over the fire. I found the best local corn chips at a gas station in Las Cruces. This bag is HUGE, and the chips taste fresh and smell like roasted corn, nothing like the major corporation mass market chips we are all used to. I tossed some chips in a cast iron pan, topped it with some of the beans we have in the fridge, then topped it all with shredded colby jack cheese. I put a lid on the pan and set it over the fire. By the time the Elote was cooked, the cheese on the nachos had melted. It was dinner time!
Kenny is the chief fire builder and camp cook for a rag-tag team of dreamers. He holds a BA in English and has worked as a cook in a variety of different food service establishments. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded a short lived, but delicious, fried hand pie company. He loves wandering around flea markets and hiking through the woods. He has a passion for pizza and good beer. |