Born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1944, Gladys Knight Knight made her mark as the featured singer in the Motown group Gladys Knight & the Pips and later as a solo artist. But few know that Knight had been serious about food. “I’m not going to come out and claim that the Knight family of Atlanta, Georgia, actually invented soul-food cooking,” says Knight, “but we certainly played a role in refining it into a fine art.” She goes on to say, “my aunt Velma made a corn off the cob with bacon and onions and peppers that was known to make grown people smile in their sleep for a week after they’d eaten.” Here is a user friendly hybrid corn off the cob recipe for the traditionalist and vegan.
Corn Off the Cob recipe
Ingredients
8 ears very fresh corn
3 tablespoons unsalted butter (vegan substitute)
½ cup of chopped onions
½ cup of chopped red and green peppers
6 slices of cooked bacon or bacon substitute
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the corn into a large bowl. Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the corn, onions, peppers, and bacon. Season with salt and plenty of pepper and cook for three minutes, stirring frequently with a spatula. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings. Serve it up with some fresh made butter milk biscuits with a side of warm butter and molasses for sopping.
