Dish: Sweet Corn Fritters from Down South
Serves: 4
Good For: When you want breakfast for dinner but don’t want to go all out; or when you need to use up leftover corn on the cob
Shopping List: 2 cups fresh corn kernels from about 3 ears of corn ($1.50), 2 eggs (separated)($.50), 1/4 cup chopped spring onions or scallions ($.79), maple syrup ($3.39)
Pantry Items: 2 tablespoons flour (any kind you have), 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, fresh ground pepper, 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne, 1/4 cup oil (preferably olive oil if you have it), 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Total Cost: $6.18

Every summer my grandmother buys dozens of ears of corn from the local farms and spends an afternoon shucking and cutting the kernels off the cobs to freeze. Come winter, we pull out a bag of frozen corn from the freezer and have the sweetest, creamiest dish this side of Labor Day. She used to add sugar to the kernels before freezing, but after trial and error, found that the corn was sweet enough on its own. Just a few minutes in the microwave and a couple tablespoons of butter (a Southern cooking staple).

With the corn that doesn’t make it to the freezer, my grandmother makes the most delicious corn fritters. There are two types of corn fritters in the south: the ones like fried dough balls and the ones like pancakes. My grandma always made the pancake kind with maple syrup and (more) butter. This recipe isn’t as good as my grandma’s-nothing will ever be-but I found a pretty good recipe for fritters that when fried in butter, taste almost as good.

**Recipe**

Corn Fritters
Recipe Adapted from The Daily Green
Serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 ears of corn)
2 tablespoons flour
2 eggs, separated
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onions or scallions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoons paprika
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin oil
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for spreading
maple syrup

In a large bowl, mix the corn, flour, eggs, onions, salt, paprika, pepper and cayenne.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat until the butter has melted. Carefully drop some of the corn mixture by tablespoons in to the hot oil and flatten with the spoon, taking care not to crowd the pan. Cook each fritter until browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn each fritter over and brown the other side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the fritters to a platter lined with paper towels. Repeat until all of the corn mixture has been used. Serve with maple syrup.