Make a meal of a mielie

These days, fresh mielies are available in supermarkets nearly all year round, but there was a time when South Africans couldn’t wait for green-mielie season, when they could cook these tasty mielies on the stove or braai them over the coals in their green husks. An important part of the enjoyment was peeling off the husks and silk, then spreading butter all over them and sprinkling them with salt before tucking in.

Mielies braaied in their husks are a beautiful thing. I like to make a variety of flavoured butters – olive, biltong, or piquanté peppers (Peppadews) and feta – to serve with the mielies, making for a simple but impressive feast.

Italian mielie fritters

The Italians make deep-fried fritters called zeppole, which can be either sweet or savoury. This recipe has kernels from fresh mielie cobs added to the dough. Make the fritters in advance and, just before serving, heat them to lukewarm in a 160°C oven.

Serves 6