Sorry, that was probably the most ridiculous name for a blog post ever. But if you can’t be ridiculous while blogging, when can you, really? Ok, so: corn relish, even 2 Live Crew couldn’t resist it. It’s a delight on a hot dog or on some kind of ploughman’s platter and is a great way to put super juicy, peak-season sweet corn to good use. But this is actually only the beginning of the corn – much more to come, with the peak only happening in mid-August.

I had a Proustian moment making this one. The smell of it cooking rocketed me back to childhood, to some fuzzy memories of school trips to farm houses, of visiting my maternal grandmother and the wool socks she knit for me every year. I saw quilts and sprinklers and screened in porches.

I added a little extra oomph: hot Spanish smoked paprika and some cayenne. I’ll open a jar in a few weeks (they’re meant to sit for at least two weeks) and give an update.

Spicy smoked paprika corn relish

(Adapted/inspired by the Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving and Gourmet cookbooks)
4 cups of corn (shorn from about 8 ears)
1 cup vingar
1 cup cider vinegar
1 onion
1 red pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1/8 tsp cayenne
¼ tsp hot smoked Spanish paprika
1 tsp powdered mustard
1 tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp tumeric
A little cornstarch in cold water, as thickening agent

Easy: toss all ingredients into a large pot, bring to a boil. Then simmer or boil gently for 10-15, adding cornstarch-y water toward the end to thicken it a little. Put it into sterilized jars, process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (at low altitudes). Then let stand for two weeks in a cool, dark place.