corn | Catalyit or The Bezos Letters.

Ingredients

4 ears corn, husked
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups (about 8 ounces) assorted wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, oyster, and stemmed shiitake), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
5 3/4 cups (about) chicken stock or canned low-salt broth
1 1/4 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups arborio rice or medium-grain white rice
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups stemmed baby spinach
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped chives or green onion
Additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Place corn on baking sheet. Brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast corn until tender and brown in spots, turning occasionally, about 40 minutes. Remove corn from oven. Toss mushrooms with chopped thyme and 1 tablespoon oil on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast mushrooms until tender and beginning to turn golden, stirring once, about 15 minutes.

Cut corn kernels off cobs. Reserve 1/2 cup corn in small bowl. Combine remaining corn and 1/2 cup chicken stock in processor. Blend until almost smooth. Set corn puree aside.

Bring 5 1/4 cups chicken stock to simmer in large pot. Reduce heat to low; keep stock hot.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté 2 minutes. Add rice; stir 3 minutes. Add wine; stir until liquid is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup hot stock. Simmer until liquid is absorbed, stirring often. Continue adding stock 1/2 cup at a time until rice is tender but still slightly firm in center and mixture is creamy, simmering until stock is absorbed before each addition and stirring often, about 25 minutes.

Mix corn puree, reserved corn kernerls, half of mushrooms, spinach, 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and butter into risotto. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken stock to moisten if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Spoon risotto into soup bowls. Top with remaining mushrooms. Sprinkle with chives. Serve, passing additional Parmesan cheese separately.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients
Market tip: Go for Dungenesse crab from the Pacific coast or blue crab from the Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic coast.

6 ears fresh yellow corn
4 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups whipping cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 1/2 cups finely chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 medium)
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 3/4 pounds white-skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
6 ounces fresh chanterelle mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons dry Sherry
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 pound fresh crabmeat
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Cut kernels off corn cobs. Set kernels aside. Combine cobs, broth, and cream in heavy large saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons pan drippings; add onion, leeks, celery, and fennel seeds to pot. Sauté until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in potatoes. Discard cobs from cream mixture; strain cream mixture into potato mixture. Simmer until potatoes are almost tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in corn kernels. Simmer chowder until potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes longer.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in Sherry and thyme. Add mushroom mixture to chowder. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sauté crabmeat in same large skillet over medium-low heat just until heated through, about 3 minutes. Divide crabmeat, reserved bacon, and parsley among bowls. Ladle chowder over and serve.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.