We here at Savoir Faire love corn, but then again who doesn’t. It has a long growing season from late May to early November making it a versatile vegetable that can easily cross the boundaries from summer to late fall.

Corn can be used so many ways. In our kitchen we serve it raw in salads, a sweet corn salsa to compliment grilled chicken or salmon, a pasta dish with sweet corn and pancetta, or our Sweet Corn Risotto with Squash Blossoms …

The key to any good risotto is time and high quality ingredients. Just take it slow, make sure you have all your ingredients prepped and ready at your disposal so you aren’t scrambling to dice, pour or measure, and have fun! In the end, you will make a great dish that will impress anyone.

Sweet Corn Risotto with Squash Blossoms

Serves 6-8

Total Prep Time – 40 Minutes

— can be made vegetarian or vegan —

Ingredients:

6 Cups homemade chicken stock or homemade corn stock (see note below) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup diced sweet onion1 teaspoon Kosher salt 1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 cup Arborio rice 2 tablespoons dry white wine 1 cup fresh sweet corn (about 2 or 3 small ears of corn cut fresh from the cob) 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 6 squash blossoms thinly chopped salt and pepper to taste 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese*

— optional – 4 Anaheim chilies, roasted, peeled and chopped — see Chef’s notes below

Directions:

Pour the stock into a saucepan and bring to a simmer
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté until the onion is soft. Cook about 8 minutes to sweat the onions and allow them to braise in their own juices. Stir in the garlic and cook one more minute.
Using a wooden spoon, add the rice and stir to coat with the olive oil. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and simmer, stirring until the wine is absorbed.
Begin adding the stock 1 cup at a time, stirring gently, and adding more liquid only when the previous addition has been absorbed. Adjust the heat to maintain a simmer. Halfway through, stir in the corn.
It should take about 20 minutes for the rice to become al dente. You may not need all the liquid. If you do need more, use hot water.
When the rice is creamy, remove from the heat and stir in the butter and half of the squash blossoms. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls or family style from a large warm serving bowl. Garnish with the remaining blossoms and Parmesan cheese.

Chef Karen Notes:

~ If you cannot find squash blossoms (I usually find them at the local farmer’s market) you can use nasturtium flowers.

~ A nice addition to this dish, for those who love chilies, is to stir in 4 roasted, peeled and diced Anaheim chilies towards the end of the cooking time.

~ For vegan option simply sub out the parmesan for a nut cheese and use a vegan stock

~ It is too easy not to make your own corn stock for this recipe. All you need is 4-6 corncobs, with the kernels cut off, water, white onion, salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover the corncobs, onion, etc. in a large stock pot and let it simmer for 30-45 minutes and there you go!

Sweet Corn Risotto with Squash Blossoms is a recipe that was recently shared in Santa Barbara Culinary Arts cookbook. It is a lovely cookbook showcasing so many great restaurants and chefs who contributed over 60 recipes from around Santa Barbara County. It is available for purchase at many of the restaurants featured in the book. Make sure to check out the Santa Barbara Culinary Arts website for more information.