Fit Fare

Most people outside of Louisiana (and even a few from the area) are unfamiliar with this dish. After all you don’t see Macque Choux (pronouced Mock Shoo) on too many menus. It’s actually a phrase the Cajuns in South Louisiana use to describe a creamed corn dish, introduced by Native Americans in the area. This is not just any creamed corn, mes amis. A traditional version of the recipe my family likes to make calls for whipping cream, sugar, butter, tomatoes, garlic, onions, bell and jalepeno peppers, and, of course, corn — fresh shucked if you have it. To lighten this recipe I decided to substitute fat-free half and half for the cream and sugar (the fat-free half and half tastes a bit sweet to me), and just used a small amount of oil instead of the original 4 tablespoons of butter. The result, a sweet, creamy, extra spicy side dish. Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste.

Macque Choux
makes 6 side servings

1 Tbsp peanut or canola oil
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced bell pepper
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
10 oz whole-kernel corn, thawed and drained
1 (14 oz) can cream-style corn
1 jalapeno, deseeded and minced
1 medium tomato, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 dash Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c fat-free half and half

Saute onion, bell pepper, and garlic in oil until the onions are tender. Add whole-kernel corn; stir well and cook until the corn is tender. Add cream-style corn, jalapeno, tomato, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and Worcestershire. Stir and simmer for 2 minutes. Add half and half. Stir and simmer for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat. Put one-fourth of corn mixture in food processor and puree. Return puree to the pan, and mix well.