One of our favorite parts of the season is the abundance of spring vegetables. And you’re going to love the way they’re used in this fresh, tasty dish. Bon appetit!

 

Serves 4

 

Corn Stock and Broth

3 Ears of corn

1 Carrot, peeled and cut into large dice

1 Onion, cut into a large dice

3 Stalks of celery, cut into a large dice

2 Bay leaves

8 Black peppercorns

1 Head garlic, halved

 

Vegetables

16 Baby carrots

1 Bunch jumbo asparagus

2 Cups English peas, shelled

 

Start by shaving the corn kernels away from the cob, but remember to save the cob as there is a ton of flavor that needs to be extracted from it. To extract the flavor, make a corn stock by putting the corn cobs, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, black peppercorns and the bay leaves in a pot of cold water, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, and then strain with a sieve or colander and cool.

 

For the vegetables use baby carrots, asparagus and English peas. We like to add garlic scapes, but they are hard to come by. Garlic scapes give a slightly sweet garlic taste. They are the tops of the garlic that are about to bloom. We have a local farmer from Booger Hollow in Dadeville who cuts and brings them to us at the restaurant. When working with the asparagus, be sure to trim off the woody end at the bottom before blanching. Blanch all of the vegetables separately in salted water, remove when tender and place them directly into ice water to keep the color bright.

 

With the corn kernels previously shaved from the cob, lightly sauté them in a pan with a little bit of canola oil, salt and pepper. Be careful not to get the pan too hot as there should be no color on the corn. When they are done, set aside and reserve.

 

To make the corn broth, add the sautéed kernels to a blender with four cups of the corn stock and puree until smooth, adjusting seasoning to taste.

 

To finish the dish, reheat all of the vegetables together with the corn stock. In a separate pot, heat the corn broth that was pureed in the blender. To plate, in a shallow bowl, add two ounces of the corn broth, and using a slotted spoon, remove the heated vegetables from the stock and place on top of the broth. Add a protein of your choice (we prefer a sautéed red snapper) and enjoy!!