My dad and I in our backyard corn patch.
Thanksgiving is rife with tradition. Everyone has his own “must-have” dish. Obviously, most families serve turkey and mashed potatoes. But, when it comes to the fixin’s, that’s where we see family traditions and uniqueness emerge. And while it’s hard to see the vegetables for the carbs, these are an important element, adding texture and variety to the menu.
For my family growing up, corn was one of our token vegetables on the Thanksgiving Menu. My dad grew up on a farm in Minnesota. When I was young, he planted the entire backyard with rows and rows of corn. Corn is one of his very favorite foods.
My dad is also a stickler for having things a certain way. (Stickler is putting it mildly.) One thing that makes a holiday dinner “right” for him is Escalloped Corn. And he is sure to be disappointed if it’s not part of the celebration. Now that my grandmother has passed away, the only one who can make it “right” is my sister Jamie.
Escalloped Corn
1 can cream style Green Giant corn
1/2 cup yellow corn (off the cob) I like Trader Joe’s frozen
1/2 cup white corn (off the cob) I like Trader Joe’s frozen
1/4 milk
1 egg beaten slightly
1 tsp. sugar
a few shakes salt
a few twists fresh cracked pepper
1 package (tube) Ritz crackers, crushedMix 3 kinds of corn and milk together in a medium sized bowl. Add egg, and mix. Stir in sugar and seasonings. Pour into a small greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees until set, and golden brown. Approximate cooking time 30-45 minutes.
However, the rest of us prefer this.
Corn Souffle
Source: Bon Appétit, November 2001
5 cups frozen corn, thawed
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon salt
pinch of pepper
1¾ cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1 cup coarsely crushed table or Ritz crackers
½ cup onionButter 8 x 8-inch glass baking dish. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, salt and pepper; stir 2 minutes (do not brown). Gradually mix in ¾ cup milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Stir in 2 cups corn. Remove from heat; cool.
In a large bowl, whisk eggs and remaining 1 cup milk in large bowl to blend. Mix in 2/3 cup crushed crackers, then corn mixture, remaining 3 cups corn and onion. Transfer to prepared dish. If making ahead, refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in heavy small skillet. Remove from heat. Add remaining 1/3 cup crushed crackers to butter and toss to coat. Sprinkle atop corn mixture. Bake until knife inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Serve immediately.
This dish can be made up to four hours ahead of time.
How about you? What’s a favorite vegetable dish that is sure to be on your Thanksgiving table?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I do a full head of par-boiled cauliflower braised with butter and sprinkled with black pepper and parmesan. Under the broiler for a few minutes, it gets a delicious cheesy, peppery crust.
We have nothing against corn and carrots in our family, but we truly love broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, etc… and hubby’s fave is cauliflower. So there you go.
Just tried Paula Deene’s squash casserole. It was delicious. Someone had given me lots of squash, so I had enough to make one that night for dinner and another for the freezer. It was good, and even better when I ate it as leftovers the next day. I just googled “squash casserole” and when I saw Paula’s, I knew I had to try hers.
We make a sweet potato yummy that has butter, brown sugar, pecans, butter, and brown sugar.
It is actually really really good, but at some point I think it transfers from the vegetable category to the dessert category. They won’t let us come to thanksgiving dinner at Great PaPa’s house without it.
By the way, I’m sure you DO prefer Trader Joe’s corn. Rub it in. But seriously, your Bon Appetit recipe sounds really good. I am going to try it this year. Thanks for sharing!
My favorite is green bean casserole. My first Thanksgiving with my husbands family they didn’t have any so when we went to my moms house I ate way too much of it there. I have taken it with me to his parents ever since, because it’s not the same without it. They all love it now too.