Now You Can Have Your Corn and Eat It Too

NW View from Lake Shore Drive. Nothing like my beautiful city.

It is officially summer time Chi! If you don’t know what Summer time chi is all about please listen to Kanye West’s Good Life and you can instantly feel the breeze from Lake Michigan hitting your skin. There are a few things I love to do more in the summer than grabbing a giant cup (or ear if you’re nasty, no really, it’s a mess) of Mexican Corn! Elotes! Mmmm mmmm I can just taste the mayo and Parmesan cheese melting in my mouth right now.

Hey hey, I hear your moans and groans loud and clear. Corn? Mayonnaise? Parmesan Cheese? Together? Lol, well don’t knock it until you have tried it. Chicago’s famous corn stands can be found on pretty much every corner on the west and north sides of the city. You will know that you’re at the right place when you see a colorful umbrella rising out of a handmade food cart.

Beautiful Corn Stand located on Chicago’s West Side

 Most often you can find fresh fruit, produce and cold treats like nieves, paletas and helado. For my non Spanish speaking compadres those are snow treats, ice pops and ice creams. But the best food is most certainly the corn! Here’s how it’s made, remember you can get it in a cup or on the cobb with a long wooden stick. For the cups, first the corn is sliced off of 1 ½ ears onto a plate then slid into a cup. Next there is spreadable butter placed on top of the corn followed by mayonnaise and topped with Parmesan cheese and Cayenne pepper if you like it hot! Take your spoon and mix it all together and voila! You have the best dammed ear of corn you’ve ever tasted in your life.

Don’t believe me? Go anywhere on the city’s West Side up and down 26th street between Western and Kostner, take your $2.50 and let me know in the comments section just how delicious this corn was! One taste and you will certainly be a believer. I have turned many Michigan, New Jersey, Atlanta and New York folk into believers. For those of you who would like to try this at home the recipe is really simple as explained above. Just make sure to use actual mayonnaise and not Miracle Whip, that just won’t cut it. Send me your pictures of your homemade elotes to royaldiva.tv@gmail.com. Now excuse me for a moment while my son and I demolish this corn.
Before….

Fresh boiled corn before the fixin’s!

After….

Yummy corn on a stick (elotes) after adding all the toppings! Photo Courtesy of laeastside.com

Happy summer time Chi!