The Weeknight Table

Ingredients

Produce
Corn, fresh — 4 ears (kernels cut off, cobs scraped for milk)
Onion, diced — ¾ cup
Bell pepper, diced — ½ cup
Garlic cloves, sliced — 4

Meat
Bacon — 8 strips, chopped

Dairy
Heavy cream — ¼ cup

Liquids
Chicken stock — ½ cup

Pantry / Baking
All-purpose flour — 1 tablespoon
Granulated sugar — 1 tablespoon

Seasonings
Kosher salt — to taste
Black pepper — 1 to 1½ teaspoons (plus more at the end)
Garlic powder — ½ teaspoon

Red pepper flakes — pinch

Instructions

Start by preparing the corn. Cut the kernels off each cob, then take the back of your knife and scrape down the cob to release that milky liquid. Don’t skip this—this is where a lot of the flavor and natural body comes from.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the chopped bacon. Cook until the fat renders and the bacon is just shy of crispy.

Add the corn, along with all that corn milk, directly into the skillet. Then add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stir everything together so it’s coated in the bacon drippings and let it cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the corn becomes glossy and tender.

Lightly season at this stage with a pinch of salt, garlic powder, and a little black pepper—just enough to start building flavor without overdoing it.

Once the corn is nearly done, sprinkle the flour evenly over the mixture and stir it in. Let it cook for 1–2 minutes so the flour loses its raw taste and begins to coat everything.

Slowly pour in the chicken stock while stirring. The mixture will loosen slightly, then begin to thicken into a light sauce.

Add the heavy cream and stir gently. Let it simmer for another 2–3 minutes until everything comes together into a light, silky coating—not too thick, not soupy.
Now finish it the way it’s supposed to be finished—with black pepper. Add more black pepper, taste, and adjust salt as needed.