Corn Cakes with Citrus Greens
INGREDIENTS:
½ cup quick-cooking polenta, or fine-ground cornmeal
1¼ cups corn kernels, cut from 1-2 ears of corn
1 small shallot, diced fine (about 3 Tbl.)
½ jalapeño, seeds and membrane removed, diced fine (about 2 Tbl.)
½ tsp. cumin seeds, roughly smashed
¾ tsp. salt, plus extra for seasoning
¼ tsp. black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
¾ cup full-fat Greek yogurt
3 Tbl. olive oil, plus extra for frying
3 eggs, separated
4 cups arugula
1 Tbl. lemon juice
½-1 cup cilantro leaves
¼ cup sour cream
INSTRUCTIONS:
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In a large bowl mix polenta with corn, shallots, jalapeño, cumin, salt and pepper. Add yogurt, 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil and 1 egg yolk (discard the other two yolks). Mix well with fork.
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In a separate bowl, beat all egg whites to soft peaks. Carefully fold whites into corn batter in two stages. Let rest 5 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make dressing. Whisk 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil with lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Set large nonstick frying pan over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Pour in 1-teaspoon olive oil. Once hot, spoon 2 tablespoons of batter per cake into pan. Repeat until pan is full. Cook cakes 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Flip and cook 1 minute, or until golden. Transfer to paper-lined tray. Yield: about 16 cakes.
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Toss arugula with cilantro. Add dressing and toss again. Season to taste. Serve corn cakes with a spoonful of sour cream alongside greens. If serving as a hors d’oeuvre, scatter cilantro over cakes before serving.
