Its’s corn!

As the northeast of Brazil faces dry weather most of the year, the population thanks, with feast, the rare rains that serve to maintain agriculture. At this time of year, anything goes well to enjoy the June festivities, wear typical clothes and spend the night dancing forró in the gangs to burn the calories of delicious treats.

This is the month of the corn harvest, the main ingredient of the most traditional dishes of this great festival! There is cake, hominy, couscous, mush, popcorn, munguza, xerém and of course, the cooked corn itself. The typical cuisine does not leave out rice pudding, peanut cake, pine nuts, cocada, pé-de-moleque, paçoca, queijadinha, bombocado, tapioca, vatapá, sweet potatoes, apple of love and the famous quentão.

Corn has been the staple food of several important civilizations over the centuries. Its name of indigenous Caribbean origin means "life support", probably because of the wisdom of it being a great source of energy - rich in carbohydrates! It presents only 1% of calories provided by fats and 2% of proteins. The corn grain also has a considerable amount of B1 vitamins, in addition to mineral salts such as iron, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.

Unlike wheat and rice, which are refined during their industrialization processes, corn preserves its husk, which is rich in fiber, essential for the elimination of toxins from the body and acts positively in maintaining the level of cholesterol.

This cereal also contains two antioxidant substances: zeaxanthin and lutein that help prevent the development of certain tumors and contribute positively to eye health, preventing cataracts.

Care is needed with canned corn because too much salt is added in the conservation process. But if you prefer to use it for its practicality, here's a tip to reduce the sodium of this product: discard the liquid from the can, put the corn in a sieve, wash it under running water and you're done!

By Andreia Cristina. Master in Food and Nutrition - CRN 3/19360. Text originally published in Revista Bora - edition 06 - Jun / Jul 2014

Light corn sufle recipe

Ingredients

• 1 can of corn (or 2 ears);
• 1 cup of skimmed milk;
• 1 tablespoon of corn starch;
• 1 yolk;
• 1 tablespoon of onion;
• 2 garlic cloves;
• 2 teaspoons of light margarine;
• 3 thick slices of ricotta;
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg;
• Salt to taste;
• 2 egg whites;
• 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation mode

In a blender, blend half the corn, milk, starch and yolk. Bring to the heat, together with the onion and garlic sauteed in the margarine. Stir until it forms a cream. Let cool. Knead the ricotta with a fork, season with nutmeg and salt. Add the ricotta and the rest of the corn to the cream and mix well. Add the egg whites and stir gently. Grease a baking pan with light margarine and place the souffle. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Bake in medium oven for 30 minutes, until the surface is golden brown. Serve it hot.