Corn and tomatoes, those two summer besties, pair up in Maque Choux, which also features the Creole Holy Trinity of onion, pepper and celery. Maque Choux is kin to succotash. They’re both corn-centric skillet quick fixes, somewhere between a stew and a sauté, and both have their roots in Native American cuisine.
Maque Choux
Prep Time
10 min
Total Time
25-30 min
Ellen Kanner is the soulful vegan author of the award-winning book, Feeding the Hungry Ghost: Life, Faith and What to Eat for Dinner (VegNews’ Book of the Year, PETA’s debut Book of the Month Club pick). She has been exploring the intersection of food, culture, wellness and sustainability for over 20 years as The Miami Herald’s syndicated columnist the Edgie Veggie and Huffington Post’s Meatless Monday blogger, as well as contributor to outlets including Civil Eats, Saveur, EatingWell, VegNews, and Whole Foods Magazine. Ellen presents internationally, teaching conscious cooking and mindful eating workshops. She created and launched the Pulse Innovation programming series for the US Pulse Association and is the author of the e-book Beans: A Handful of Magic. She’s been featured in outlets including VegNews, MindBody Green, Psychology Today, Thrive, the Miami Herald and Veganuary.
Website www.soulfulvegan.com • IG @ellenkanner • FB@ soulfulvegan • Twitter@ soulfulvegan
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- 1 good-size stalk of celery, chopped, about 1 cup
- 1/2 green pepper, about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 orange or red pepper, about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 1 big handful fresh greens, such as kale, turnip greens or spinach, well-chopped (optional)
- 1 big handful fresh basil, chopped
- Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Directions
- Working over a large bowl, cut kernels off the corn. Scrape the cobs well, using the bowl to reserve the kernels and any juice from the cobs.
- Heat oil in a skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Then add the celery and pepper. Continue cooking and stirring until vegetables grow soft and fragrant, about another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the jalapeno, grape tomatoes, corn, thyme and smoked paprika. Reduce heat to medium, cover and let the Maque Choux simmer for 10 minutes. Mixture will throw off liquid, creating its own broth.
- Remove lid, add optional chopped greens and stir until greens just wilt. Add chopped fresh basil and season generously with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.
Recipe Note
How to serve: Enjoy Maque Choux with summer greens and some crusty bread, and the world will feel a little friendlier. A little hot sauce helps, too.
How to keep: Extras keep covered and refrigerated for several days. Gently reheat on the stovetop.
