Summer and the Fourth of July weekend is already upon us and, besides fireworks, that brings one thing to mind: grilling. Most of you will probably be cooking up the usual burgers, hot dogs, steaks, etc., for your summer parties and celebrations, but have you considered using the grill to prepare side dishes? Try this kicked up Mexican-style grilled corn as an accompaniment to your main dishes and it will surely to be a hit.
My inspiration for this is the Mexican street food dish called "elote" which I first learned of in the movie Nacho Libre, oddly enough, where it was a coveted treat by Nacho's scrawny sidekick, Esqueleto (a definite must-see, silly comedy flick). It is essentially grilled corn on a stick smothered with mayonnaise, crumbled cojita cheese and chili powder. Elote is a staple of Mexican street food and can now even be found sold at farmers' markets in the U.S. (namely, out west, though I'm hoping it catches on over here).
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.