Stephanie Alexander’s corn and chorizo frittata

Name: Stephanie Alexander’s corn and chorizo frittata
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 sweetcorn cobs, grated (see notes); 150g chorizo sausages, in 1cm cubes; 1 small onion, chopped; 3 eggs; 1 tbsp chilli paste, such as sambal oelek; ½ cup sour cream; ½ cup fine polenta; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp baking powder; 2 tbsp olive oil; 75g soft feta or marinated goat’s cheese

Fresh sweetcorn and spicy chorizo unite in this simple but satisfying frittata, which can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner – or even taken to a picnic.

Stephanie Alexander

February 27, 2024

Corn and chorizo frittata: just add a green salad.Marina Oliphant

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

This is a good picnic dish or a simple lunch or supper paired with a green salad. It could even be served at brunch. It’s adapted from the late Bert Greene’s book Greene on Greens. He calls it “spicy Texas corncake”.

I can’t find poblano chillies and have no green chilli salsa in my pantry, but I liked the idea of the spicy chorizo partnered with mild corn, so my version is more like a corn and chorizo frittata. I have also substituted soft feta or goat’s cheese for the Monterey Jack in the original.

Ingredients

2 sweetcorn cobs, grated (see notes)
150g chorizo sausages, in 1cm cubes
1 small onion, chopped
3 eggs
1 tbsp chilli paste, such as sambal oelek
½ cup sour cream
½ cup fine polenta
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
2 tbsp olive oil
75g soft feta or marinated goat’s cheese

Method

Step 1
Heat grill to high or oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
Step 2
Grate the sweetcorn into a medium bowl.
Step 3
In a heavy-based frying pan about 24cm in diameter and with an ovenproof handle, saute the chorizo over moderate heat until browned. Scoop the sausage out of the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve.
Step 4
Saute the onion in the chorizo oil until it is well softened. Whisk the eggs lightly and pour into the bowl with the grated corn. Add the sausage, the chilli paste and the onion. Stir in the sour cream.
Step 5
In another bowl mix the polenta, salt and baking powder, and then stir them into the wet ingredients and mix well.
Step 6
Wipe out the frying pan, tip in the olive oil and heat to high. Tip in the batter – it should sizzle convincingly. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook for about 5 minutes. Slip a wide flexible spatula around the sides and shake the pan to ensure the frittata is not sticking. At the end of this time, dot the surface of the frittata with the cheese and slip the pan either under the grill or into the oven. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the top is browned, the cheese has softened and the frittata feels firm to the touch.
Step 7
Remove from the heat, allow the frittata to settle for a minute, then slide the spatula underneath to loosen it. Tip onto a warmed serving plate or allow to cool to room temperature if taking to a picnic. Serve with a green salad.

How to grate corn

Stand the cob on its end on a large, flat plate. Using a sharp knife and working down the cob, slice halfway through the kernels, then with the back of the knife, or a soup spoon, rake down the cob, “grating” the remainder of the kernels as you go, until you have extracted as much of the corn and milky juice as possible. The grated corn will look rather like scrambled eggs.

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