Corn Pepian

Ingredients

• 10 ears corn
• 3 tablespoons rendered bacon fat or olive oil
• 2 small onions, finely chopped
• 3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed, seeded if desired, and finely chopped
• 4 ounce panela cheese, cut into 1/8 inch dice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 bunch fresh dill, leaves only, finely chopped

Directions

Slice the whole kernels from 5 ears of corn and set them aside in a bowl. Slice the kernels from the remaining 5 ears and place them in a blender with 1 1/2 cups of cold water. Blend until completely smooth, then press the liquid through a fine sieve, pressing down on the skins to extract all the juice. Discard the skins and set the mixture aside.

In a heavy nonreactive saucepan heat the bacon fat over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned. Add the garlic, salt, cumin, and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes, then add the jalapenos and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the whole corn kernels and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the pureed corn and reduce the heat to its lowest possible setting. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan every 10 minutes or so to keep the mixture from scorching or sticking. Stir in the cheese and the vinegar, cook for 5 minutes more, then sprinkle with the dill and serve.