Maque Choux Pasta Recipes

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.

CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cut kernels off cobs and, working over a large bowl, scrape cobs with knife to extract all juices. Discard cobs. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy 8-qt. pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown sausage, transferring to a plate. Brown chicken in batches, transferring to another plate.
• Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot, then sauté onions, bell peppers, celery, thyme, cayenne, and salt to taste over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 4 minutes. Add corn with juices and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and sausage.
• Nestle chicken into mixture and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 40 minutes. If the maque choux is soupier than you like, simmer uncovered until juices are reduced. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.

SHRIMP AND SWEET CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, red and green peppers, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add zucchini, sweet corn, water and 2 teaspoons Cajun or creole seasoning to the skillet. Cook until zucchini is tender, about 2 minutes. Add half and half, and stir. Turn off heat.
• Meanwhile, season shrimp with remaining 2 teaspoons Cajun or creole seasoning. Melt butter in a separate skillet and cook shrimp in four batches, about 2 minutes on each side, or until curled, pink and cooked all the way through. Do not overcook.
• Divide corn mixture between four plates. Top each plate with 5 cooked shrimp, and serve immediately.

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

MAQUE CHOUX PASTA

Steps:

• Drain liquid from artichoke hearts into a large skillet; coarsely chop artichokes and set aside.
• Sauté onion, celery and garlic in artichoke heart liquid over medium-high heat for 5 minutes; add tomatoes and their liquid, olives and reserved artichoke hearts. Cook for another 3 minutes or until most of the excess liquid has cooked off.
• Stir in cooked noodles and fresh herbs; toss to coat. Season to taste with seasonings as desired. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno pepper in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until tender.
• Stir in corn, tomatoes, and Creole seasoning; reduce heat to low.
• Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

SHRIMP MACQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Set oven to broil. Brush individual pizza crusts with melted butter, and sprinkle with chopped parsley and garlic salt. Place on a baking sheet and broil until sizzling. Remove, and set aside.
• Heat 1 cup oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. In batches, place tortilla strips in hot oil, and cook until crisp. Remove to paper towels, and discard oil.
• Add whipping cream to a saucepan, and whisk over high heat. When the cream begins to boil, whisk in sour cream. Reduce to medium heat. Stir in chicken bouillon and jalapeno juice, and simmer.
• In a separate saucepan, warm 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour; continue whisking until the mixture is a pale golden color. Then whisk flour mixture into cream mixture, whisking until well blended. Remove from heat, and stir in jalapenos and cheese. Set aside.
• Warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in salt pork, and brown on all sides. Remove salt pork to paper towels, and discard oil.
• Warm 6 tablespoons butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in onions, celery, green and red bell peppers, garlic, and thyme. Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the corn, and cook about 5 minutes, stirring. Stir in andouille and salt pork. Season with salt, pepper, 1/4 cup parsley, and Creole seasoning; cook about 10 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until pink, about 5 minutes. Drain the butter sauce off of the shrimp and meats, and reserve the sauce in a bowl or jar.
• Stir the cream sauce into the shrimp and meat mixture. Stir in 3 cups of penne pasta. Reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• To serve, place pizza bread in the bottom of individual bowls. Ladle a spoonful or two of the reserved butter sauce over the bread, then ladle over sauce. Add more pasta, if desired. Sprinkle with Creole seasoning, and top with crispy tortilla strips.

MAQUE CHOUX (FRIED CORN WITH GREEN PEPPERS) RECIPE BY TASTY

Steps:

• In a heavy skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until melted and sizzling. Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the thyme, red pepper flakes, black pepper, salt, sugar (if using), and corn. Cook, stirring, until the corn is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
• Add the cream and cook 5 minutes more to thicken. Stir in the parsley and green onions. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt and pepper.
• Serve warm.