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Mixed Metaphor Corn

(post, John Dryzga)

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As E is already in California and I'm headed there myself on Sunday I've been trying to cook using what's lying around. Today's protein was a no-brainer, I just defrosted a ribeye steak. To use up some of the produce I had lying around, I created what I call mixed metaphor corn.

Putting together corn and red bell peppers is totally Americana. Depending on how you season the dish, you can create something Northern, Southern or even Southwestern. When you start throwing shallots into the equation, things get a little muddled.

I diced the red bell pepper we had sitting around into a corn kernel sized dice. I finely diced a shallot and sauted it along with the red bell pepper in some butter until the vegetable were nearly done. I warmed up the half bag of frozen of sweet corn, then chucked it into the pan with the bell pepper and shallot.

This proved to be a surprisingly tasty combination. The shallot added a sweet, oniony undertone to the dish. The taste wasn't completely American, nor was it overtly European. The grilled steak and onion proved to be worthy additions to this dish of many colors. When choosing to cook with a fixed set of ingredients, some interesting combinations are bound to happen. Sometimes, these are very happy occasions.