The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us
  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • SHOP
  • Newsletter
  • About
  • Work with us

Blog

Taking Time to Live Well

  • All
  • Chalkboard
  • Christmas
  • Competition
  • could do
  • Eating
  • Escape
  • Escaping
  • Fresh
  • Fun
  • gardening
  • Gathered
  • Gathering
  • Growing
  • Haikus
  • Interview
  • Living
  • Looking back
  • Magazine
  • magical creatures
  • Making
  • Miscellany
  • My Neighbourhood
  • Nature
  • Nest
  • Nesting
  • outing
  • playlist
  • Reader event
  • Reader offer
  • Shop
  • Sponsored post
  • Sunday Best
  • Think
  • Uncategorized
  • Wellbeing
  • Wisdom

Photography: Catherine Frawley

Recipe | Street corn (Elotes)

Iona Bower March 5, 2022

Classic Mexican street food that's traditionally charred on the grill then covered in a creamy sauce

Serves 4- 6

6 medium ears of corn, husks removed
120g sour cream
150g mayonnaise
3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 garlic clove, crushed
¼ tsp ground chipotle powder (substitute with smoked paprika for a lower heat)
2 tsp lime zest
2 tbsp lime juice
40g Cotija (or feta cheese), crumbled
Lime wedges, to serve (optional)
Jalapeños, to serve (optional)

1 Preheat the grill to medium/high and place the corn on a baking tray underneath. Grill for 2-3 mins on each side, turning as the kernels become golden and charred. Remove and place on your serving plate .

2 While the corn cooks, make the sauce by whisking together the sour cream, mayonnaise, coriander, garlic, chipotle, lime zest and juice. Taste and season if needed .

3 Using a brush or spoon, coat each ear of corn with the sauce and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve with lime wedges and jalapeños.

Elotes are great on their own and with crusty bread to mop up but if you want to make an occasion of it, you can find all the recipes for our Mexican Gathering in the March issue, starting from page 40, and including crab and mole tostadas, spiced cauliflower and black beans,. pulled pork carnitas and prawn and pineapple rice salad, alongside much more.

Buy this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More corn for your plate…

Featured
Streetcorn.JPG
Mar 5, 2022
Recipe | Street corn (Elotes)
Mar 5, 2022
Mar 5, 2022
Nov 22, 2018
Food from afar: Cornbread (and Thanksgiving)
Nov 22, 2018
Nov 22, 2018
SIM74.TTTK_Relish-8992.png
Aug 17, 2018
Recipe | Sweetcorn relish
Aug 17, 2018
Aug 17, 2018

More from our blog…

Featured
July playlist.png
Jun 18, 2025
Playlist | Fruit
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
Deal_129_WEB.jpeg
Jun 18, 2025
Competition | Win a night at Updown on the Kent Coast worth up to £450
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
ESSE_GardenStove-151.jpeg
Jun 18, 2025
Sponsored post | Enjoy a pizza the action with ESSE
Jun 18, 2025
Jun 18, 2025
In Fresh Tags mexican, gathering, sweetcorn
Comment
Photography: Kirstie Young

Photography: Kirstie Young

Recipe | Sweetcorn relish

Lottie Storey August 17, 2018

With a shorter cooking time than chutney, sweetcorn relish keeps its crunch

This lovely chunky relish is particularly excellent on burgers and hotdogs – just the thing for a barbecue. Because of their short cooking time, the veg in relishes have a lovely crisp texture, but this does mean that they won’t store as long as other preserves such as chutney. Keep this in the fridge and eat within two weeks.

Sweetcorn relish

Makes 3 jars
1 onion, finely diced
Raw kernels from 3 sweetcorn cobs
1⁄2 red pepper, finely diced
1⁄2 green pepper, finely diced
1⁄2 orange pepper, finely diced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
300ml cider vinegar
125g granulated sugar

you will need:
3 sterilised jars, vinegar-resistant lids, and labels

Put all of the ingredients into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring. When the sugar has dissolved, simmer for 15 mins, stirring every now and then to prevent it sticking and burning. When the liquid has thickened and coated the vegetables, spoon them into the sterilised jars and top each with a little of the cooking liquid. Seal and leave to cool.
 

Turn to page 38 of August's The Simple Things for more of our staple foods feature on sweetcorn from Lia Leendertz.

 

  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here.

 

More from the August issue:

Featured
SIM73.MAKES_HG_Sunshine Spaces_28391.png
Aug 26, 2022
Make | Outdoor canvas hammock
Aug 26, 2022
Read More →
Aug 26, 2022
SIM73.TREASURE_WhatITreasure1.png
Jul 24, 2018
What I treasure | My walking boots
Jul 24, 2018
Read More →
Jul 24, 2018
SIM73.IDEAS_Stocksy_txp683f47de3ky100_OriginalDelivery_339275.png
Jul 23, 2018
Think | Sixth sense
Jul 23, 2018
Read More →
Jul 23, 2018

More preserving recipes:

Featured
Mar 14, 2021
Recipe: Goose egg lemon curd
Mar 14, 2021
Mar 14, 2021
Kilner.JPG
Oct 17, 2020
Potted Histories | The Kilner Jar
Oct 17, 2020
Oct 17, 2020
seville-and-blood-orange-marmalade-recipe.png
Jan 12, 2019
Recipe: Seville and Blood Orange Marmalade
Jan 12, 2019
Jan 12, 2019
In Eating Tags preserving, today tomorrow to keep, issue 74, august, sweetcorn
Comment
TST-sweetcorn.png

Recipe: Sweetcorn with flower and herb butter

lsykes July 22, 2014

Corn on the cob and butter are the most natural of double acts. Flowers and herbs picked from your plot take this melting accompaniment to the next level in this sweetcorn recipe.

The sugars in sweetcorn start turning to starch the moment the cob is picked, meaning even minutes can make a difference to its taste. Get the barbecue up to heat before you pick, for the juiciest, sweetest corn you’ve ever sunk your teeth into.

Recipe: Sweetcorn with flower and herb butter

Serves 6

6 sweetcorn cobs

For the butter:

150g butter, at room temperature

Small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Petals of a few edible flowers: marigold, cornflower, chive

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

 

1. Put the butter in a large bowl, add all the other ingredients. Season and mix well, pushing the petals into the butter with the back of a wooden spoon. Bring it all together into a rough round using the spoon.

2. To make the butter into a sliceable log, chill the pat until it is workable
but not too firm. Use a piece of wax paper to roll into a log shape. Wrap and refrigerate or freeze until needed.

3. Once the barbecue coals have turned grey, pick the cobs and place them, husks and all, onto the grill. Allow the outer leaves to blacken slightly, then turn. Once the whole thing is blackened, pull back the husk, slice of the butter and place it on the kernels. Let it melt slightly, then eat.

 

Turn to page 40 of July’s The Simple Things for more ideas for enjoying July’s allotment bounty.

Not got July’s The Simple Things yet? Buy or download your copy now.

In Eating Tags allotment, barbecue, recipe, summer, sweetcorn
Comment
Featured
  Buy ,  download  or  subscribe   See the sample of our latest issue  here   Buy a copy of our latest anthology:  A Year of Celebrations   Buy a copy of  Flourish 2 , our wellbeing bookazine  Listen to  our podcast  - Small Ways to Live Well
Feb 27, 2025
Feb 27, 2025

Buy, download or subscribe

See the sample of our latest issue here

Buy a copy of our latest anthology: A Year of Celebrations

Buy a copy of Flourish 2, our wellbeing bookazine

Listen to our podcast - Small Ways to Live Well

Feb 27, 2025
Join our Newsletter
Name
Email *

We respect your privacy and won't share your data.

email marketing by activecampaign
facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram
  • Subscriber Login
  • Stockists
  • Advertise
  • Contact

The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

facebook-unauth twitter pinterest spotify instagram