It’s farmer’s market season here in Kansas and while the pickings are still slim, there are still some great items available this early in the season. The tomatoes are the sweetest I’ve ever tasted and the asparagus is bigger and better than anything you might find in the grocery store. The onions are so sweet you can eat them like apples. However, the best is yet to come – sweet corn, never picked more than the day before market.
Last year, my dad stocked up, shelled dozens of cobs and froze the fresh kernels for enjoyment year round. Coming up on this year’s farmer’s market season, he miraculously had some still hiding in the corners of the garage freezer. Like the good daughter that I am, I agreed to take a few bags off his hands. I suspect that I didn’t exactly hide my excitement as well as I thought I did.
Growing up in Kansas, I ate more than my fair share of sweet corn each summer. It’s really not fair to the rest of the country who has to get by with the sad things called “sweet corn” that are offered at most grocery stores. Fresh sweet corn was probably the one thing I missed the most when I served in Peace Corps Uganda. I dreamed about it. Each time I snacked on some roasted Maize, I imagined I was eating roasted sweet corn. I tried to make due with the canned “sweet corn” offered at the local market, but it was never the same. These sweet corn and green pea raviolis are everything I wish I had in Uganda. Fresh and delicate, a celebration of spring and everything yet to come this farmer’s market season.
Sweet Corn and Green Pea Ravioli
Makes approximately 30 raviolis
1 cup fresh sweet corn
1 cup frozen green peas
2 stalks green onion, sliced thin
1 T butter
1 T Herbs de Provence
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 package wonton wrappers
Begin by melting 1 T butter in a medium sauce pan. Add the sweet corn, green peas, green onion and Herbs de Provence. Saute until heated through, but not mushy. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Place one wonton wrapper on a clean, dry surface so that it resembles a diamond and spoon about 1 tablespoon of the corn/pea mixture in the middle. Top with a pinch of Parmesan cheese. Using your finger or a pastry brush, moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper to help them stick. Bring the bottom corner up to meet the top corner. You will now have a triangle with the bottom being a straight line.
Using a fork, crimp the edges of the wonton triangle to seal it closed. You can leave them as triangles if you want, or (as seen in the image above) you can bring the left and right corners together to make a little envelope, moistening them as needed to make them stick.
If you want to freeze them prior to cooking, lay them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Don’t let them touch, or they will freeze together. Freeze them on this baking sheet for about an hour, or until frozen solid. Remove them to a ziploc bag and keep frozen until you’re ready to cook them.
To cook – drop into well salted boiling water and cook until they rise to the surface. When the come to the surface, continue to cook 30 seconds longer. Top with your favorite tomato or butter sauce.
The Little Bite 
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