I’ve been dreaming about ABC Cocina‘s sautéed corn for over a week now. It was my favorite dish there, by far. Hot buttery corn tossed with parmesan cheese and topped with chipotle cream sauce. So basic, but yet, phenomenal. There aren’t many dishes that stick with me. This was definitely one of them. When I really started to think about what this menu item consisted of, it clicked… they basically just deconstructed Mexican corn. Freaking genius.

So, I cracked. I went 25 minutes away to Buford Highway Farmer’s Market to get some corn. Anthony Bourdain visits The Buf in The Layover and is just as amazed at the variety and quantity of produce as any human would be walking in there. It’s massive. This isn’t the type of grocery store you run to grab some eggs and milk from. You allot yourself a good amount of time when planning to head out.  New things pop up every time and I’m always eager to grab an exotic fruit or a vegetable that I cannot pronounce the name of. Mostly because I can barely speak English. It’s an inspiring place for an active mind.

Two hours and $90 later, I had my corn. And some fresh favas. And some Indian eggplant. And some chicken liver. And some Korean cucumber. And some baby bananas. And some Spanish fennel sweet cracker thing.

As eager as I was at attempting to recreate the dish I had in New York, I knew that I would end up disappointed since I would never really be able to replicate it. So I took the inspiration and ran with it; ergo, favas. If you can find fresh fava beans, awesome. If not, frozen favas work just as well.

This is a simple and fresh summer side dish. I would even use it as a brunch component by adding it to some home fries or hash and topping with an egg. Scrumptious.

Check Yo Self towel from French Silver Shop.

Sautéed Corn & Fava Bean

makes 6 small servings

[one_half padding=”0 20px 0 0″] 3 cobs of corn
1/2 lb fresh fava bean pods, or 2/3 cup frozen
2 Tb unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/2 tsp salt
paprika for garnish
[/one_half][one_half_last padding=”0 0px 0 20px”] 1. If using fresh fava beans, remove the shelled beans from the pods.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Prepare an ice bath (bowl full of water and ice).
3. Boil the corn for 5 minutes. Remove and shock it in the ice bath immediately. Remove the corn when it feels cool to the touch.
4. Boil the shelled fava beans for 1 minute. Remove and shock in the ice bath. Let soak for a minute and then remove from ice bath.
5. Remove the beans from the tough outer shells by squeezing them. Discard the shells.
6. This step is OPTIONAL: Heat grill or grill pan to high heat. Char the corn on all sides to give it a smokey flavor.
7. Cut the corn off of the cob making sure to scrape the cob afterwards with the back of your knife to get all the “milk”. This will make the sauté naturally creamy.
8. Heat a large skillet over high heat. When hot, add the butter, corn, and fava beans.
9. Toss around to coat with the butter. Season with parmesan cheese and salt. Continue to toss.
10. Serve immediately. Garnish with paprika and a little more grated parmesan. Enjoy!
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