THE NIBBLE BLOG: Products, Recipes & Trends In Specialty Foods


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Apple Turnovers Recipe (Or Any Fruit), History, & Types Of Turnovers

A dish of samosas with chutney and herbs
Samosas

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TIP OF THE DAY: A Use For Your Corn Cobs

Raw Corn On The Cob
[1] After you enjoy the corn, make stock from the cobs (photo courtesy I Love Corn).

Corn Cob Stock
[2] It’s easy to turn corn cobs into corn stock (photo courtesy Local Kitchen Blog).

  Who knew: You can make stock out of your corn cobs instead of immediately throwing them away.

When simmered in a pot of water, corn cobs create a broth that can be used as a base for corn chowder, clam chowder or any vegetable soup.

Or, you can reduce it a bit and add salt and pepper and some optional fresh herbs to make a tasty broth—not bone broth, but cob broth.

The usual method is to first remove the kernels from the cob with a knife.

But we’ve been known to repurpose the cobs after eating corn on the cob. It’s all in the family.

It doesn’t matter whether the corn kernels on the cob are raw or cooked.

Simply cover the cobs with water, bring to a boil and simmer 45 minutes. Don’t add seasonings just `yet: stock should be unseasoned, until you turn it into broth or another soup or a poaching liquid.

Here’s a complete recipe for corn cob stock from Local Kitchen Blog.
 
 
STOCK & BROTH: THE DIFFERENCE

The difference between a stock and a broth is the seasoning.

  • Stock is not seasoned; it is an unfinished product that is an ingredient in another dish. For example, stock is used to make gravy (beef stock is use used for au jus), marinades, risotto, sauces and other soups.
  • So, if you’re using stock, you’ll need to add salt to your desired level. Broth already contains salt.
  •  
    Broth is a thin soup is made from a clear stock foundation. The terms bouillon and broth are used interchangeably.

  • However, a bouillon is always served plain (with an optional garnish), whereas broth can be made more substantive with the addition of a grain (corn, barley, rice) and vegetables.
  •  
    Here are the related types of soups, including consommé and velouté.

     
    USES FOR RAW CORN KERNELS

    Fresh summer corn is so sweet and tender, you can eat it from the cob without cooking.

    If you want to cut the raw kernels off the cob, here are some ways to use them:

  • Arepas
  • Corn relish
  • Corn bread (recipe) or corn muffins
  • Corn cakes
  • Corn chili
  • Corn chowder (recipe)
  • Corn ice cream (delicious—here’s a recipe)
  • Corn salad with red onion, bell pepper, cucumbers, optional chiles; or this recipe with edamame
  • Corn salsa (recipe)
  • Esquites (recipe)
  • Garnish for dinner plates
  • Gazpacho (recipe)
  • Grain salads
  • Green salads
  • Savory pancakes (recipe)
  • Stuffed marinated or grilled mushroom caps
  • Tex-Mex garnish (e.g., to top taco shells)
  •   

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    RECIPE: Red, White & Blue Berry & Banana Smoothie

    This delicious, nutritious smoothie is from Kelly at SuperHealthyKids.com.

    “I love using frozen organic fruit,” says Kelly, “because it’s frozen at its peak freshness. It’s available year-round, is generally less expensive than fresh organic fruit, especially when out of season. And it’s great in smoothies!”

    The smoothie is made with three separate layers (photo #1), but if you don’t want to create patriotic artistry, just blend all of the ingredients together for a fruit fest.

    You can also freeze it for an hour or so and serve as a sorbet.

    The layers:

  • Red: frozen strawberries, raspberry juice or any red juice, honey.
  • White: fresh bananas, unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or any milk), ice cubes.
  • Blue: frozen blueberries, unsweetened vanilla almond milk or substitute, ground flax seeds.
  •  
    The smoothie is as healthy as it is patriotic, packed with vitamin K from the berries, potassium and vitamin B6 from the bananas, and fiber and omega-3s from the flax.
     
     
    RECIPE: RED, WHITE & BLUE SMOOTHIE

    Ingredients For 4 Smoothies, 8-12 Ounces
     
    For The Blue Layer

  • 2 cups blueberries
  • 1-1/4 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
  •  
    For The White Layer

  • 2 medium bananas
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
  •  
    For The Red Layer

  • 2 cups whole strawberries, frozen
  • 1 cup raspberry juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  •  
    Optional Garnishes

  • A pick with fresh or thawed berries
  • Watermelon stars (photo #3) for “stars and stripes”
  •  
    Preparation

    1. BLEND the blue layer ingredients together. Pour it into individual glasses, about 1/3 full. Place the glasses in the freezer for 10 minutes.

    2. RINSE the blender jar to remove any remaining blue layer mixture. Then create the white layer: Add the ingredients and blend until smooth. Pour the white layer over the frozen red layer, filling the glass to 2/3 full. Place the glasses back in freezer for 15 minutes.

      Red, White & Blue Smoothie
    [1] A patriotic smoothie. For days when you don’t want stripes, you can simply toss all the ingredients into the blender at once (photo courtesy Super Healthy Kids). Note that instead of the layers as shown, we reversed the blue and red layers so that they read red, white and blue from top to bottom.

    Sliced Banana
    [2] Bananas create the white layer (photo courtesy Recipes.com).

    Watermelon Stars
    [3] Whatever you drink, make this snazzy garnish. Here’s how from Domestic Fits.

     
    3. RINSE the blender jar to remove any remaining white layer mixture. Create the red layer: Blend the ingredients until smooth. Pour the red layer over the frozen white layer, filling to the top.

    4. PLACE the smoothies in the fridge until ready to serve. Serve with a straw.
     
     
    BONUS: SMOOTHIE HISTORY & HOLIDAY

    National Smoothie Day is June 21st, the first day of summer.

    Check out the history of smoothies.

      

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