The markets of Bucha and the surrounding district have reached the moment worth waiting a whole year for: young corn has arrived. The window is narrow — two or three weeks at most, after which the kernels toughen and the sweetness turns to starch. So the main piece of advice here is not about cooking at all, but about timing: do not put it off.

This is an original recipe from the Bucha FM newsroom — no complicated techniques, no shop-bought sauces.

How to choose. Look at the husk, not the cob: it should be fresh green and wrapped tight, not dry and splayed. The silk on top should be pale and moist, with no blackening. The surest test is to fold back the husk and press a kernel with your fingernail. If a milky juice spurts out, the corn is at milk stage — take it. If the kernel is firm and dry, it is past its prime, and no amount of boiling will fix that.

Young corn at milk stage — pale silk and tight green husks

What you need: 4–6 ears of young corn, 80 g of butter, 2 cloves of garlic, a bunch of dill, half a lemon, salt, freshly ground black pepper. Optionally, a pinch of smoked paprika.

Step 1. Remove the husks — but keep them. Carefully peel back the outer leaves, strip away the silk, and keep two or three of the tenderest inner leaves: you will need them on the grill. A dry washing-up brush is the easiest way to remove the silk.

Step 2. Boil in unsalted water. This is where most people go wrong. Salt draws moisture out of the kernels and makes them tough, so season only once the corn is cooked. Lower the ears into boiling water for 10–12 minutes — young corn needs no more. The half-hour recommended by old cookbooks applied to varieties that have long since disappeared from the market.

Ears in the pot — boil in unsalted water for no more than twelve minutes

Step 3. Garlic butter. While the corn boils, mash softened butter with a fork together with finely chopped garlic, chopped dill, salt, pepper and a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add smoked paprika if you like a smoky note. The butter should end up as a paste, not melted.

Step 4. Now the coals. Pat the boiled ears dry, brush them with half the butter, wrap them in the reserved leaves and set them on the grate over moderate heat for 5–7 minutes, turning now and then. The leaves char on the outside and protect the kernels from drying out. For pronounced caramel spots, finish the last two minutes with the leaves off, straight on the grate.

Ears in their own leaves on the grate — the husks char and shield the kernels

Step 5. To serve. Brush the hot ears with the remaining butter, sprinkle with coarse salt and squeeze over the lemon. Eat at once: cold corn under congealed butter is a different and far sadder dish.

If you have no grill, a dry, well-heated griddle pan or five minutes under the oven grill will stand in for the coals. The effect is weaker, but the kernels still take on the nutty note that a plain pot will never give them.

One last thing: whatever is not eaten straight away, cut off the cob into a container — the kernels are excellent the next day in a salad with tomatoes and brynza.

Nota bene

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