Corn Cakes with Tomato-Avocado Relish

Last Friday I stole a meal from Annie and made this along with her amazing raspberry-lemonade bars and some roasted potato wedges for the Robber. It was a variation on the ratatouille-on-cornbread theme, and received with almost equal enthusiasm. The meal just tasted healthy and the flavors of the cakes and relish worked together well. In fact, the cakes do a little better with the relish than as stand alone, but they would also be good with regular salsa and some melted cheese or sour cream. I made larger cakes-- using 1/4 C. and frying them like a pancake, and they turned out puffy and golden and just the right size for piling on lots of the relish. Annie also recommends eating them with some ranch dressing, but I don't think that is necessary because the relish is so delicious by itself.

From Ezra Pound Cake by way of Annie's Eats:

http://annies-eats.net/2011/08/25/corn-cakes-with-tomato-avocado-relish/

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

3 large ears of corn, shucked

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ C. cornmeal

¼ C. red onion, finely diced

¼ C. thinly sliced fresh basil

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. buttermilk

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

For the relish:

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

1 scallion, minced

1 T. minced fresh basil

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of half a lime

1½ tsp. olive oil

1½ tsp. white wine vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced

Directions:

1. Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the food processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.

2. Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine.

3. To make the relish, combine all of the ingredients except the avocado in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Just before serving, mix in the avocado.

4. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat until sizzling hot. Scoop the batter into the skillet a heaping tablespoon at a time, cooking the cakes in batches of 4 or 5 so that they are not touching. Fry 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve immediately topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired.