quick! before the summer is really over! ::::
Summer has unofficially ended now that the kids are back in school — already! We somehow made it through oppressively hot weather without delving into daily cold dinners with colorful salads. Not that I didn’t want to. I’m lazy. The slow cooker reigned too high this season and filled in the gap of lack of meal motivation.
This was a spur of the moment salad, a photo popping up on some food photography link. I am so easily distracted. Mark Bittman, famed food writer and author, led me to another corn salad years ago, the corn-avocado salad, and just by serendipidity, I ran into today’s corn salad — another Bittman recipe. Bittman is the master of simple but flavorful. When you know your ingredients and they are top notch, the burst of simple seems much more than the bits that create it.
For those of you in a time crunch but with eager young helpers, this is a good quick recipe to try. There is no OCD plating needed either: just dump everything into a bowl, mix, and the bright colors take over. Sky-Girl wanted to help, so naturally I gave her a sharp knife. That she’s using with the blunt end to cut. (Nothing but the corn was sliced.)
Chop and serve. Almost as fast as the summer felt.
One year ago: roti
Two years ago: phở and violet jelly candies
Three years ago: one-eyed chihuahua cocktail, almond celery salad and what to do with a monster zucchini?
Four years ago: apricot compote, tomato and halloumi salad with pomegranate drizzle and peach-blueberry pie
Five years ago: pluots with mascarpone and honey and poached egg with balsamic dressed greens, spaghetti squash browns and daisy cake
Six years ago: kaiserschmarrn with peaches and blackberries and matonella con biscotti sablee (chocolate loaf with butter cookies and nuts), korean dried squid (ojingo chae bokkeum) and danube salad
Also try the corn-avocado salad this summer, which I first managed to make in California in October 2011 with fresh corn. Georgia sweet corn in the fall isn’t so likely.
- 2 to 3 cups raw or cooked corn kernels (from 4 to 6 ears) [The original recipe says raw or cooked. I like a parboil, half cook here, for more sweetness. If you have a gas stove or grill, sear the corn on the cobs for char and a little smoky flavor.]
- 1 large ripe tomato, in a small dice
- 4 ounces (1 cup) feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint leaves
- Salt and black pepper
- Char/cook corn if desired and cut off of cobs.
- Mix corn, tomatoes, feta, and olive oil in a large bowl.
- Add mint and salt and pepper. Mix well and serve. Flavors meld if sitting for 10-15 minutes before serving. Store in fridge for a day if needed.
