Humitas Seasoned Corn Puree Recipes

Steps:

• Remove green husks and silk from corn, being careful to keep husks whole. Discard silk. Place husks in large pot of boiling water and blanch 1 minute. Remove from water; drain.
• Cut kernels off cobs. Place half of the kernels and onions in blender container; cover. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Place remaining corn kernels, butter, baking powder, eggs and cornmeal in blender container; cover. Blend until smooth. Add to corn puree in bowl. Stir in cheese. (Batter will be thick but not stiff.)
• Place 2 of the corn husks on work surface, with long sides slightly overlapping. Spoon 1/4 cup of the corn puree onto bottom half of the husks; fold the top of the husks over the filling. Fold in half from the left side, then fold in half again from the right side. (One end of each humita should remain open.) Repeat with 34 of the remaining corn husks and remaining corn puree. Keep folded ends in place by tieing closed with thin strips of the remaining corn husks.
• Fill a large pot with 2 cups water. Line steamer basket with half of the leftover corn husks; place in pot. Stand the humitas, open ends up, in the basket; cover with the remaining corn husks. Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; steam 30 minutes or until humitas are firm.

Steps:

• Combine corn kernels, milk, eggs and salt in processor or blender and puree.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent.
• Add chilies and corn mixture. Stir over low heat until the corn mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Make the filling: Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook until smooth and bubbly, about 3 minutes. Add the milk slowly while whisking constantly. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, paying special attention to the corners of the saucepan. Add the paprika and salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the corn and parsley, return to a simmer. Scrape the filling into a bowl and cool completely before filling wrappers.
• To Form: Moisten the edges of 1 of the empanada wrappers with a fingertip dipped in warm water. Center a generous 1/3-cup of the filling on the wrapper. Bring the sides of the wrapper together to meet over the filling and pinch the sides together to seal and form a half-moon shape. Lay the half-moon flat on the work surface. Work you way around the edges, bringing about 1/2-inch of the bottom layer of dough up and over the top layer, to make a mini-pleat. Press as you go to seal the pleats. If you don't want to mess with crimping, just seal the edges all the way around with the tips of the tines of a fork.
• Fry the Empanadas: (empanadas may also be baked; see Note below): Pour enough vegetable or canola oil into a large heavy skillet to fill about 3/4-inch up the sides. Heat over medium heat until the tip of the handle of a wooden spoon immersed in the oil gives off a lively sizzle, about 375 degrees F. Carefully slip as many of the empanadas into the oil as will fit without crowding. Cook until the dough is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Carefully flip and repeat. Drain briefly on paper towels before serving. Repeat with remaining empanadas.
• Note: To bake empanadas, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or use a nonstick baking sheet. Bake until the empanadas are light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool a few minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
• Peel back husk on corn and remove all the silk. Lay each ear of corn on an individual piece of foil. In a medium sized bowl, mix butter, cilantro and seasoning until well combined. Rub each ear of corn with butter mixture and pull leaves over to cover. Wrap corn with foil and grill for 20 minutes.
• If grilling, grill until slightly soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Squeeze the lime over the corn, if desired.
• Suggestion if grilling: soak corn, grill whole. Dip or brush with herb butter.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the corn on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Let cool. Remove the husks and silk, and then slice the kernels off the cob. Combine the kernels and butter in a blender; blend until smooth. Add salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.