Sweet Corn Carnage
Or: Juicy Corn Ribs with Roasted Garlic Butter and Vegan Parmesan Crumble
Buttered sweet corn straight from the cob — mwah — what a sentimental treat! But did you know that cutting the cobs into ‘ribs’ and roasting them in the oven doesn’t just make them tastier, it also makes them much more fun to eat? I’ll be the first to admit that I thought corn ribs were overrated when I first came across them, but I didn’t actually try them until very recently. Turns out that sometimes the internet is right, and the hype should be believed.
Because buttered corn is such a classic, I wanted to keep this recipe simple and rustic like a good old corn on the cob while adding a little bit of extra texture and flavour. The roasted garlic butter and parmesan crumble make the corn just that much more scrumptious and are easily whipped up while the ribs slumber in the oven.
This recipe for juicy, buttery, garlicky corn ribs makes a full meal for two people but can also be halved for a ‘small plate’ or appetiser. Do as you wish but do try a corn rib if you haven’t already!
Ingredients
Corn ribs for 2 people
4 sweet corn cobs (raw)
3 tbsp olive oil
Coarse sea salt
Roasted Garlic Butter
1/2 garlic bulb (with the cloves still connected)
3 tbsp vegan butter or margarine
Vegan Parmesan
125g roasted and salted cashews
4 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp white pepper
Kitchen Equipment
A sharp (!) kitchen knife
Baking paper
Small oven-proof ramekin
Method
Vegan Parmesan
For the vegan ‘Parmesan’, simply throw all your ingredients (roasted cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, white pepper and garlic powder) into a food processor and pulse until the mixture has your preferred ‘parmesan-y’ consistency. I like to mix it more thoroughly when using it for pasta dishes, but I keep it a bit more chunky for this recipe.
Roasted Garlic Butter
Step 1 Take half a bulb of garlic (simply break a whole bulb in two, making sure the individual cloves stay intact) and remove the dry outer layers of skin. Use a serrated kitchen knife to ‘open up’ the cloves — simply trim the root end of your garlic bulb by a few millimetres.
Step 2 Cut out a small square of baking paper just big enough to wrap around the garlic. Now, pour a little olive oil onto the centre of the paper and put the garlic bulb on top with the trimmed end facing down. Wrap the baking paper tightly around the bulb and twist to close. Put aside for later.
Corn Ribs
Step 1 Preheat your oven to 200°C on the fan setting and place your little garlic parcel in the oven while it’s heating up.
Step 2 Thoroughly wash your corn cobs and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
Step 3 Use your sharpest kitchen knife to quarter the cobs lengthwise. Stand the corn up on a cutting board (make sure it’s stable!) and centre the blade on the cob. With one hand on the handle and the other flat on the blade, gently press down and slice the cob with a rocking motion. Be careful with your fingers, and do not hold the cob for stability! Raw corn cobs are tough but also delicate, which makes them difficult to work with. Don’t worry if some of the pieces break during this process — there’s a reason the dish is called corn carnage!
Step 4 Place the ‘ribs’ on a baking tray and add 3 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt on top, then use your hands to rub the oil and salt into the corn ribs.
Step 5 Place the baking tray in the preheated oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Continue to bake the garlic along with your corn ribs. Be sure to turn the baking tray halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.
Step 6 After 30 minutes, switch to a hot air grill/grill setting, if there is one, to help give the corn an authentic char-grilled look.
Step 7 Put 3 tbsp of vegan butter in an oven-proof ramekin and place it in the oven for about 3 minutes or until the butter is just melted — you want a creamy, not runny, consistency.
Step 8 Take the melted butter and garlic out of the oven. Carefully open the baking paper parcel, remove the garlic bulb and gently press down on the skin to remove the caramelised cloves —but be careful, the garlic will be very hot!
Step 9 Smash the soft garlic cloves with a fork and whisk them into the melted butter. If you’re using unsalted butter, add some salt.
Step 10 When the corn ribs are golden brown, slightly curled and charred on the edges, take them out of the oven. Pour your garlic butter over the piping hot corn and use a spatula to mix it all up.
Step 11 Arrange the corn on a plate and generously sprinkle with your Parmesan crumble.
Step 12 Dig in while hot!
