My love for corn has been well documented. I will eat it steamed. I will eat it creamed. I will strip the cobs of their golden, juicy kernels and eat them raw.
And, once I am left with nothing but naked cobs, I will use those corn sticks to make a corny broth.
While most vegetable scraps get chucked into my general purpose stock bag, corn cobs get singled out.
Rather than muddle their flavour with a bunch of other produce, I make them the star, complementing them with garlic and letting their corny goodness shine. The result is a savoury, incidentally vegan broth that adds a spike of savoury seasonal flavour to soups, risottos and sauces.
Corn stock can be made either on the stove or in a pressure cooker. To make it, you will need:
- Corn cobs (at least 4)
- Enough water to cover the cobs
- 3 smashed garlic cloves, skins still on
- 2 teaspoons of salt
- 1 bay leaf
Add everything to a big stock pot (or pressure cooker) with enough water to just cover the cobs.
Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let it bubble and extract corny goodness for several hours, at least two, until you have a fragrant stock with a beautiful golden hue. If you’re using a pressure cooker, cook under high pressure for 45 minutes.
Strain stock through a sieve to remove the cobs and any errant corn silk, then stir into anything that needs more corn.
I think it makes a particularly good ramen broth, but I’m not above sipping it from a little mug.