Corn Wheels

This week’s recipe is a free-wheeling one for corn. Corn wheels are fun to eat and easy to grip. Kids may be happy to eat them as-is. Grown-ups can spice them up for a snack or side-dish. A quick passage through the microwave oven makes slicing corn into wheels quite do-able with a good kitchen knife or sturdy serrated blade.

Corn Wheels

• Half to one ear of corn per person
• Soft butter
• Sea-salt and lime juice
• Chili powder
• Feta cheese, finely grated on a rasp or box grater
• Finely chopped cilantro

Remove just outer leaves from corn, keeping tender green ones. Rinse, and cook (still wet) in a microwave oven for a minute or until corn feels warm to the touch. Part leaves at top and check corn inside is hot – if not, microwave a little longer.

Place corn, in its leafy sheath, on a cutting board. Cut into three-quarter-inch or so slices. (You may need to insist to cut through the cob.) Leaves and most of the silk will fall away from the slices. Arrange corn wheels on a plate, brush kernels with butter and eat right way.

Or try this: heat a grill pan, cast iron pan, or grill. Season softened butter by stirring in small squeezes of lime juice, and a pinch of salt to taste. Brush corn wheels all over with lime butter and quickly sizzle on the hot grill or pan, rotating with tongs, to fleck them with grill marks. Remove corn wheels, brush kernels with more lime-butter, dust with chili powder, and sprinkle with grated feta and cilantro.