Ecuadorian Humitas

REMOVE green husks and silk from corn, being careful to keep husks whole. Discard silk. Place husks in large pot of boiling water and blanch 1 minute. Remove from water; drain.

CUT kernels off cobs. Place half of the kernels and onions in blender container; cover. Blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into large bowl. Place remaining corn kernels, butter, baking powder, eggs and cornmeal in blender container; cover. Blend until smooth. Add to corn puree in bowl. Stir in cheese. (Batter will be thick but not stiff.)

PLACE 2 of the corn husks on work surface, with long sides slightly overlapping. Spoon 1/4 cup of the corn puree onto bottom half of the husks; fold the top of the husks over the filling. Fold in half from the left side, then fold in half again from the right side. (One end of each humita should remain open.) Repeat with 34 of the remaining corn husks and remaining corn puree. Keep folded ends in place by tieing closed with thin strips of the remaining corn husks.

FILL a large pot with 2 cups water. Line steamer basket with half of the leftover corn husks; place in pot. Stand the humitas, open ends up, in the basket; cover with the remaining corn husks. Cover the pot with a lid. Bring water to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; steam 30 minutes or until humitas are firm.