Retro Recipe: Spanish Corn Casserole from 1939!

[@essaboselin5252]

Given the age of the recipe, I'd say the corn used wouldn't be the super-sweet corn we have now. That's probably why the sugar worked back then.

[@tjs114]

Gotta agree. My family has been growing corn in Iowa since before Statehood, and they still grow some of the 'heirloom' varieties and they aren't all that sweet. Funnily enough, here in California I have several corn fields around me as well and they grow exclusively sweet white corn.

[@JerryB507]

That's what I was thinking. I've got some heirloom sweet corn that isn't nearly as sweet as some of the modern hybrids. It makes excellent Elote (Mexican Street Corn).

[@jenthulhu]

Ha! I just typed the same thing!

[@barbaramiller349]

Absolutely true. My grandma always used young field corn. She preferred it to the sweet corn of today. 😊

[@alvareo92]

I'm thinking Glen probably used frozen corn 😆

[@sgrya1]

Mad respect to anyone on a cooking show who can say they don't like a dish. Almost never happens.

[@Yargestein68]

He wouldn´t be able to lie anyway. You see if he likes it or not.

[@op3129]

julia is what makes this happen. I respect her ability to distinguish between "not for me" but also "if you like this type of dish, which I don't in general ..." for the wild rice soup video, she said it was "pleasant." glen disagreed ("better than 'pleasant'") and she held her ground. love them both.

[@adsrentals]

I've made something similar to this for 5 decades. Mix everything together and soak for 10 minutes, pour into baking dish, bake 350-400 depending what is in the oven with it. Cook until a knife comes out clean, crust forms on edges, lightly brown top. It holds form when cut, for variation, add shredded cheddar cheese.

[@dianekassmann8821]

When I was growing up in the ‘50s and ‘60s, my mother and grandmother made a great corn casserole with crackers and cheddar cheese. Because that’s the texture I’m familiar with, I’d have mixed the cracker crumbs in with the corn and custard, and drizzled the butter on top - or just dotted the top with solid butter pieces. I completely agree about adding pepper and leaving out the sugar!

[@cherbibler3265]

Yes, we called it scalloped corn. My mom made it with creamed corn.

[@andrewdavid9333]

Cheese topping would be great

[@dianekassmann8821]

@@cherbibler3265 Yes, that’s what we called it too! Made with both creamed and kernel corn, cracker crumbs are 1/2 Ritz and 1/2 Saltines. I still love it - might not be all that healthy, but sure is delicious. It’s a must on my Thanksgiving table.

[@melicate13]

I live in Montgomery County, Kansas, which is next door to Labette County, so my ears totally perked up when I heard where the recipe was from. We usually do put a bit of sugar in corn dishes (at least we do in my family). It's not because we're using field corn. We grow sweet corn and field corn in the area. In fact, we cook corn on the cob with a touch of milk and sugar in the boiling water. When we roast it on the grill, that's different. No sugar, just salt and butter. There's also another corn casserole that is popular around here that has corn and cream cheese. Corn casseroles are about as popular here as playing the game, "Cornhole." (I'm serious. We have tournaments.) That looks exactly like the corn casseroles I've seen at potluck dinners. Great job!

[@AdamDeal-KF0PRI]

jazz it up into a mexican street corn! very lovely taste!

[@waterotter]

Glenn & Jules, my mom would have been 99 in March, 2024. She was born and raised in central Kansas and finally left when she was 31. Both her mother and grandmother owned mom and pop restaurants in the wheatbelt and followed the oil and gas wells being drilled in the 20's & 30's. My mom made a spanish corn souffle, as she called it, all my life and it was always my favorite. Her recipe would start with one can of sweet corn and one of creamed corn. She would then add one egg, half cup of whole milk, salt, white pepper (she wanted no black specs in the dish...could be confused with dirt), garlic powder, chopped green bell peppers, chopped pementoes (for color), finely chopped onion, one stick of butter (or margarine), one package of salted soda crackers and finely paprika (sprinkled on top just before baking). I don't remember tomatoes but they could have been there. Couldn't hurt. Cooking method: place both cans of corn in a greased glass baking dish, add milk, egg, spices, and veggies and mix thoroughly. Add half stick of your butter melted and half of your crushed soda crackers and mix it into the corn and other ingredients. Pour everything into your baking dish, add the remaining cracker crumbs on top, put the remaining butter (in pats) on top of the dish to allow for browning, and finally add a sprinkle of paprika over the dish to give it some red color. Finally, place your dish in a 350-degree oven for about a half an hour until the crackers are lightly browned. After you take your finished dish out of the oven, let it cool for about 15 minutes on the counter. If you don't wait and take a bite of this hot goo, it will be like hot lava from a volcano. Due to the egg, the dish will rise up so make sure your baking dish is a little taller to give it room. That's my mom Polly's Spanish Corn Souffle. She would make it every holiday and special Sundays. I'm doing this from memory so I hope I remembered all the ingredients. Good luck, I sure enjoy your show...both cooking & flying. I hope you have a wonderful trip flying your beautiful country and no smoke & fires this year as happened last year. Thank you again. Dave Nutter

[@susanhiggs6873]

You could probably grill the corn and cut it off the cob for a nice smoky flavor of the corn casserole.

[@jlpeters8576]

Your reactions are amusing. One enthusiastic, one not so much, even though she finished the dish.

[@Phenost4r]

This has sparked a creamed corn conversation with my wife that I’m tremendously grateful for. Our next smoking will incorporate something between this and creamed corn with some local sweet corn once it’s available. Cheers from the Champlain Valley.

[@redbeard36]

Nothing makes my day like Glen's happy food smile during the tasting.

[@robviousobviously5757]

nice to see Julie's wardrobe match the oven mits... 👌

[@shoottothrillphotoWI]

We've used this recipe since the early 1940s. Loveit.

[@TamarLitvot]

My mother, born in 1907, made a dish we called "Spanish Chicken." She was not a great cook, but this one dish was one we all really liked. It definitely had tomatoes in it and, since I know my mother liked bell peppers, probably had bell peppers also -- which fits your description of the use of "Spanish" in a recipe.

[@Benni-rp9or]

My wife found a similar recipe a few years ago in one of our cookbooks. We love it, we use a whole bag of frozen corn, no sugar and we add cheese. It's a really great side dish. Fire roasted jalapenos really make it so much better, too

[@cherylchristian5673]

Did you catch the ad for the Funeral Home and Ambulance Service? Very logical.

[@pengolodh]

That one made me pause the video to go back and make sure I read it correctly

[@jjudy5869]

Since my family is from Labette County, Kansas, the funeral home is a familiar name. They were doers and shakers in the Labette community at that time, particularly Altamont. I'd love to go through the cookbook to see how many of the names I would recognize.

[@cougarhunter33]

Capitola Ellen Bradbury Noble was born 1874 in Indiana, married Robert Merle Noble in 1902 and passed away in 1954. THey hd 6 children, R. M. Jr, being the oldest.

[@lesanelms7939]

That's amazing! Thanks for sharing!

[@cherbibler3265]

My grandmother had a book called Capitola's Peril by Mrs EDEN Southworth. Just saying.

[@chrismcauliffe6275]

my grandmother (married in the late 1930s) had a similar recipe that she called scalloped corn. It was a staple at big holiday dinners. Good video!!

[@stillhuntre55]

I'd love to try this with peas and cubed carrots! EDIT: I just paused at 8:42 and I LOVE that this page of the cookbook has a potato recipe, the corn casserole, and a carrot casserole! I think I'll do the corn and the carrot casseroles in my split baking dish! Potatoes next to it in the oven? Dinner!

[@annaleegilbert2222]

Pobano peppers would be great!

[@kenmore01]

Yes. Roasted Poblano would be great!

[@grahamrankin4725]

Add some montery jack as well.

[@aprilfool8329]

It was difficult for Julie to say that she didn't like it because she was too busy eating one spoonful after another lol.

[@nell6913]

Can't help thinking that when there is no method, that everything should just be mixed together and baked. I think the cracker crumbs mixed into the custard would have given it a whole different form, would have bound it together properly, and removed the creamed corn sensation.

[@TamarLitvot]

It would have been pretty solid I'd think -- maybe like a bread pudding (without sauce)?

[@pamelabraman7217]

Oh green chillies

[@rdpj7791]

Seriously love watching you navigate your way through vague recipes! You Sir, know how to cook. TFS!

[@revsharkie]

I grew up in the next county west of Labette County. My dad lived in Labette County, in Chetopa, and both his parents grew up there. My great grandma ran a restaurant in Chetopa, alternately named Club Café or Hulsey's Café. So I showed my dad this clip and he said he knew the Noble family, and the Wimmers (the recipe above that one). The Nobles lived in Bartlett, which is west of Chetopa. I was looking closely at those ads to see if one of them was for my great grandma's restaurant, but I didn't see it. I *did* see Woods Lumber, which is still open, in Independence.

[@cathrinewhite7629]

Because we know how you are _never_ busy😂, it would be lovely to see even _a few_ of these personally annotated recipes, uploaded as .pdf pages to your website- or even the Internet Archive website🙏🏼 They have lots of old cookbooks uploaded there (on I.A.)- it's the ones tested and commented on that I like to try.😊

[@susanwylie4928]

Reminds me of the scalloped corn casserole that my mom and grandma used to make. They didn't add tomato

[@larrymcardle]

I would be tempted to add some queso blanco or goat's cheese to that to step away from that custardy creamed corn flavor, but it looks great. And I agree about ditching the sugar and adding a jalapeno.

[@brendanshull2125]

this is basically what I was thinking as I saw it getting assembled. turn this into a more Tex Mex thing, some jalapeño or some extra pimento, some garlic, not necessarily omit the sugar (maybe a tsp), a touch of lemon or lime juice or zest. still pretty basic but it’ll be a little jazzed up

[@t.c.2776]

@@brendanshull2125 Just a splash of Frank's Hot Sauce instead of pepper...

[@Jsal6748]

I wonder if the sugar was added because corn wasn't general as sweet back then. Obviously sweet corn existed but I think starchy corn was more common because it could be made into meal, hominy, etc. I'm totally guessing though lol.

[@stillhuntre55]

I've grown "sweet corn" from 100 years ago in my garden - and while it's definitely a sweet eating corn, it's NOT the super sweet corn of today. Doesn't keep at all - you need to freeze it if you want it for later... you have to pick it, shuck it, and cook it immediately. However it was BURSTING with corn flavour! Modern corn tastes like pustules of sugar water compared to old strains of corn. Very flavoursome and delicious - but not sweet-sweet.

[@michigancheese6159]

Hi Friends, yum, what an inspiring idea, make changes to how you would care for the dish! Thanks again for sharing! Your wife's greetings are so nice welcoming me 😂😊❤ and I really enjoy her take on the food. Love this channel!!!

[@_SurferGeek_]

Going to make this tonight! Agree with removing the sugar. But I think I'll also add a small amount of pepper-jack cheese.

[@TheSethwardpyatt]

I'd add the black pepper & jalapeno too. Smoked paprika perhaps. And definitely some cheese (and maybe another egg?) to hold it together better

[@sandyfarrow7752]

Good Sunday morning, Glen, Jules and Chicken.

[@rabidsamfan]

That looks wonderfully doable. And I loved watching you tease out a method from just the list of ingredients.

[@david.mcmahan]

Maybe the sugar is there because the corn available at the time was less sweet?

[@fractaljack210]

Making this tonight. Thanks!

[@thebaldchef14]

1939 was a long time ago. But this recipe for Spanish corn casserole stads true today. I am new to your chaneel!

[@SummitHill79]

Couple of minutes in…the dish of nightmares.

[@profrumpo]

A nightmare dish for me, I loathe corn creamed or otherwise. The chocolate bundt cake yesterday, made my mouth water though. Always great to see the weekend recipes.

[@MamaStyles]

I said nightmare fuel for me. I personally feel corn (preferably fresh on the cob) doesn’t need a custard to make it good 🤮

[@cathyeller5722]

Mom used to take her small amount of pancake mix and throw in some corn and cheese and bake it. It was our fancy corn dish

[@heidiedelman6840]

Looks interesting. I will try it soon. Thanks! Always good to start a Sunday morning with your video!

[@MamaStyles]

I’m with Julie on this one. Sweet custard corn = nightmare fuel for me.

[@hannakinn]

My grandmother made a delicious corn pudding she called it Indisn Corn Pudding but it was not the pudding I find in recipes of that name. It was made with her homegrown sweet cream style corn, eggs, cream from the dairy, butter, molasses and black pepper. I'm not sure if it had cornmeal or not. It was not as brown as Indisn Corn pudding I see online. It was really yummy, the edges of the pudding would sort of caramelize. No one in the family has the recipe. I wish I had it. I have tried to replicate it but so far my attempts just aren't IT. My grandmother was from South Central Virginia born in 1900 so no telling how old the recipe was. My grandfather and I both loved my grandmother's corn pudding although my grandfather said it had been much better when it was cooked in the woodstove. He, to my grandmother's displeasure, would always say my grandmother had been the best cook ever until she got her electric stove, lol.😅

[@joantrotter3005]

Maybe a drop of hickory smoke, or cook it on the barbecue? My maternal grandmother had an electric stove, but used the very old wood stove for bread in the winter.

[@t.c.2776]

I always love those crispy outer pieces of any baked foods, even brownies... 😁

[@VeretenoVids]

I'm with Julie--have detested creamed corn from childhood. It was a great day when my parents stopped trying to make me eat it.

[@paulgrue7427]

Hey, Glen. I hope you are having a great trip/experience to the east in the 172. Look up a few recipes on "Scalloped Corn." I think you will put the mystery pieces of the puzzle together on this dish. It has been a family favourite of ours for generations. Be safe on your trip! 🛩

[@larrywhite6895]

GO GLEN~~~ Spanish Corn`` I live 1 County north of LAB~~ So Corn Recipe is on my mind HA!! Larry in Kanza~~Carry On !!

[@bettyvorley1130]

There can be endless possibilities with this!

[@elizabethd2916]

That is a nice quick little recipe. It’s a good one to have on hand.

[@outdooorsman]

this is a must try for me!!!

[@anniee6616]

Good evening nice side dish for lamb chops or large beef meatballs!

[@matthewlowry3726]

It looks like an upscale creamed corn…I love how your lovely bride says she not a fan of that…but kept eating it…LOL

[@Girruuth]

I would have mixed the Cracker/butter combo into the Custard, make it more like a bread pudding kinda thing

[@peggy011]

Like other folks here, I grew up with a version of this recipe called scalloped or baked corn. It was served on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

[@jodiherfendal]

Looks good, I would of mixed it all together and made like scalloped corn.

[@cookilumsden]

I have very similar recipe which as far as I know originated in Arizona. The bottom is a bean medley, instead of the custard, and the top is breadcrumbs mixed with the melted butter. bake @ 350 till the top browns.

[@davetarpley3740]

Spanish rice was a popular dish in the 1970s. It lives on in Rice-A-Roni, Ben's and other brands. At Tex-Mex restuarants, it was a common side but it seems the slight variation, Mexican rice, is the standard now. (No tomato sauce or paste?) Toasting one layer of raw rice in the oven, pouring pre-measured boiling water over it, then sealing the dish with foil and baking is a great way to make rice. (The grains split and there's a hint of popcorn flavor.)

[@ldg2655]

My grandmother made this… with and without the pimentos & peppers. Without peppers, it was corn pudding, with peppers & pimentos and maybe a dash of chili powder and cumin, it was Spanish (or Mexican) corn.

[@mistythompson1398]

Corn season is coming and I am always looking for new ways to use it. This sounds like a good jumping off point, thank you for sharing.

[@joanng8601]

My grandmother made this and mixed in all the ingredients and baked it 375 for 25 then bumped to broil for 7-10 as she liked a very dark crunchy top. She used no sugar and a jalapeno was always one of the peppers She lived in western Missouri

[@jhdeval]

I have had this before. I want to say it was mid 80's in Portland made by my uncles family.

[@susanward398]

Mrs. Noble may have intended the crumbs and butter to be added to the mixture, rather than spread on top. Julie, this should make it less like creamed corn! I'd try it again that way. I'm undecided about the sugar, but black pepper sounds like a great idea.

[@driverjayne]

I feel like that's a short step away from an elote casserole. Needs cheese though 😂

[@Theaterverslaafde]

I was thinking cheese as well!

[@bitslammer]

This looks up my alley as I love creamed corn. I'd probably spice it up some with jalapenos and maybe a little bacon or ham and possibly some cheese.

[@dereksbabble]

RE: Sugar--Modern supersweet corn varietals completely remove the need. My people are Nobles (my grandparents from Great Falls MT. went by Mr. & Mrs. R.B. Noble) and this might be one of my great-aunts. The corn from the 1930's was very starchy and needed that sugar.

[@shaventalz3092]

You make it sound like an older version of the 50's "gelatin with stuff in it."

[@SquareSasquatch]

That's a family favorite! We just call it corn casserole. I like to add a can of green chilis and some cumin.

[@davetarpley3740]

My mom's family recipe for tamale pie had two cans, I believe, of creamed corn in it. I still think Julie would like it. The cornmeal batter doesn't top the pie. It's incorporated into the ground beef mixture. It resembles, somewhat, the Alabama Pancho Pie Glen once made.

[@danielmiddleton8173]

The fanceily named Chantilly potatoes recipe above looks interesting.

[@LolaChacona]

I'm with Julie on the creamed corn aspect, not a fan (it's a texture thing), but I think I would enjoy this recipe, minus the sugar and with black pepper and maybe some red pepper flakes and more veggies to disguise the "custard" part of it - add some cheese to it too (as someone else commented). This would be great mixed with rice too. Now I'm hungry.

[@JeanneLugertLadyTatsLace]

interesting, I would have put it together like i would scalloped corn, the crumbs and butter would have been mixed into the veg and custard. Thanks for another idea, I might try that with my families scalloped corn recipe. just for a change

[@dianamcanally5515]

my family used to make a similar dish but the process looked like this (copied from a recipe for scalloped corn" Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients together. Sprinkle a lite layer of additional breadcrumbs on top of the scalloped corn. Bake for 30 minutes. It's actually delicious made with creamed corn and maybe part with whole kernel, and I think the peppers would be an okay addition but we made it without. It bakes up nicely, more of a pudding consistency.

[@mariolover2222]

Personally I'd use a smaller dish. I think it'd give the custard a better chance at setting

[@Northernmike100]

Remember the dish is not that big and it’s very shallow. Smaller dish would actually do the opposite. Your custard would have more height. Thus possibly requiring a tad bit more time.

[@andrewfidel2220]

I'm with Glen, though i think I'd add pepper, garlic powder, and a bit of salty cheese. Also the sugar would have to go, but that's a result of the change in modern varieties which are much sweeter than just a few decades ago let alone a century ago.

[@gabriellew6467]

A delighted chuckle from Glen, a slight frown on Julie’s face - an unusual reaction, most of the time there is harmonious agreement. Nevertheless, sounds worth a try, thank you 🙂

[@L2.Lagrange]

I just want to be clear that 1939! is significantly later in years than 1939. Factorials.

[@TamarLitvot]

But you didn't give us the actual year. I won't take up the space here with the answer, but according to my simple search -- this is what you end up with: 1939! = 1939 × 1938 × 1937 × 1936 × ⋯ 1939 factorial has 5,535 digits. The number of zeros at the end is 482.

[@ChaseFreedomMusician]

Roasted poblano is probably what I'd rock in that, with some tajin, cilantro, and cotija on top.

[@asdisskagen6487]

Darling little poem at the front of the cookbook. I can't find any reference to the author or the poem online; I wonder if it was crafted especially for this cookbook by one of the members?

[@robertfore896]

Is it salty enough? Would cheese like Romano or Parmesan work?

[@rebeccaturner5503]

It needs a handful of cheese for today!! And a poblano pepper!!

[@PatBerk]

Take out the peppers and you have a new england classic: corn pudding. I serve it at Thanksgiving. (more eggs and cream though!) And nutmeg!

[@suzyinwf]

The sugar in this recipe was probably due to using older varieties of field corn types, which are not often eaten as a table dish in todays world. Interesting recipe as a jumping off point, perhaps 2 eggs to make it moe of a custard, more veg possibilitie, and more types of peppers to taste... and cheese !

[@dvdosterloh]

half again more peppers and onions, maybe a hot one minced fine and cut the sugar to just a pinch, add pepper, use club or ritz for topping. bring it on, it's a METHOD!

[@davidpeckham2405]

And Bacon!

[@MissellAnnie]

Glen, how long did you end up baking this for? My local grocery store has a frozen fire roasted corn, peppers and onions mix that would make very short work of this recipe. I'll try it soon :-)

[@jamestboehm6450]

Looks very much like the Mexican corn casserole i make. I also use a can of cream corn and a bit of starch for body.

[@jrkorman]

A church pot-luck staple - but not quite this recipe I believe. We had a lady at church that made a great dish similar to this. We were living in Nebraska at the time and I point this out because of KMA radio in Shenandoah, Iowa was a powerhouse radio station of the time and did cooking shows as well as a cooking newsletter type magazine. No black pepper in it is a sin!

[@CraftyLoops]

Do you think it's also called Spanish corn because of the red peppers and yellow corn being the colour of the Spanish Flag?

[@WilliamWallace14051]

I have seen mentioned that modern, post Orville Redenbacher corn is sweeter than corn used to be.

[@gabriellakadar]

These days sweet corn tastes like it has been crossed with sugarcane. Way too sweet and it lacks actual corn flavour like in the old days.

[@GregoryLee-iy4gs]

Farm Bureau is a Ins. Co. and you had to be a member and you got would give a yearly gift and other discounts from member in the back

[@sgmarr]

Intriguing concept. Not sure if I've ever had it.... Not many cooks I know, had Pimento in anything. I recall seeing cans of corn, with red bits, on store shelves? Maybe? I was surrounded by Bell Peppers and Sweet/Hot Banana Peppers. I think we had mainly Banana Sweet, because of Czech, Polish and Hungarians lived all around the area. We grew our own garden, so Banana Peppers is mostly what I saw. My dad taught me How to visually Know, which was Hot. We barely used Hots! And "the Men" had a "thing", where Hot Peppers "Made you a Man"!!! Or so it seemed to me! Girls didn't WANT the Hot! Challenge accepted!! I have made it with raw California Reaper!! That one made me wish I wasn't SO Daring! Lol 😂 My Male Relatives would be so Proud of me!! LOL

[@jillmcclintock1717]

Many people call bell peppers "pimentos"

[@asdisskagen6487]

Here in the Southern US, you can find pimento peppers called for in lots of older recipes. I think it really depends on what grew locally for some of the ingredients used in 'traditional' recipes.

[@amme30]

Well now I don't know what creamed corn is so I have no reference point. Is it a sweet dish like creamed rice?

[@jamesellsworth9673]

Add freshly ground black pepper or a medium hot pepper and make a bit more custard and the dish would be more my style.

[@NeighborofKT]

Sometimes country people will eat field corn...if it is picked fresh and cooked in sugar, it is a reasonable substitution for sweet corn. I think this is why sugar was in the recipe.

[@authorjack]

I don't think you cooked it for long enough

[@deementia6796]

Glen .. this leads me to a weird idea, not that you don't have enough things to make and do. But my thought was, "how about Glen takes a few of the recipes that were marked as BAD, and find some way to 'fix' them and make them taste good, using mostly ingredients, substitutions and swaps from the time period."

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

Pretty !

[@jenthulhu]

If my gardening history memory serves, I don't think sweet corn would have been quite as sweet back then compared to what we have today. Even in the 1970s I remember local corn and the corn my mother grew to be relatively bland compared to what I can easily get today, even from the grocery store. Many of today's common varieties are intensely sweet by comparison. All this to say--I bet that's why there's sugar in the recipe that we would consider unnecessary today.

[@maluorno]

what if you started with a layer of sausage pressed in the bottom of the pan?

[@vickiekostecki]

0:28 Please do Potato Fudge Cake sometime please.

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

"Fairwell and adieu to you, fair Spanish Maizes..."

[@janmclain6301]

I just sang that in my head, lol. Thank you!

[@SamwiseOutdoors]

@@janmclain6301 You're welcome! I knew that this was the right crowd for a pun like that.