Sweet Corn Polenta With Fried Egg and Sun-Dried Tomato Relish Recipe

A bowl of warm from-scratch polenta is quite possibly one of the most comforting things the late-summer harvest season has to offer. This recipe makes the perfect amount for two heaping servings garnished with the best homemade sun-dried tomato relish you've ever had (seriously, you'll want to put it on everything). So pull up two chairs and share the wealth of fresh corn, herbs, and a crispy fried egg to sweeten the deal.

To make the sweet corn polenta

1. Remove kernels from the cobs. If making corn stock, boil cobs in four cups of water with any desired additions such as onions, a few cloves of garlic, 4 to 5 sprigs of thyme, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 2 hours, or until stock is flavorful. If using vegetable stock or water, simply discard cobs after removing kernels.
2. Place kernels in a pot and cover with 2 to 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock, water, or corn stock, depending on what you are using. Add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Transfer the corn kernels to a blender (high-speed is preferred), leaving any liquid behind in the pot. Puree, adding some of the liquid as needed, until the kernels have broken down and the mixture has a pasty consistency.
4. Transfer the sweet corn back to the pan and stir in with the leftover liquid. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens into a polenta-like texture.

To make the sun-dried tomato relish

1. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add to a bowl along with the garlic, basil, red pepper flakes, lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. If the mixture seems a bit dry, add a splash or two of olive oil.

To assemble

1. Divide the polenta into two bowls, top with the fried eggs, and add a few spoonfuls of the relish.

Farm Team Tips

For this recipe, either bagged or jarred/canned sun-dried tomatoes will work. If using jarred sun-dried tomatoes, you won't need to add any olive oil to the relish, but if using bagged sun-dried tomatoes, a splash or two of olive oil may be necessary.