THREE RIVERS AREA — One of the pleasures of summer cooking is planning meals around what you find at a local farmers market. Gone are the days of cheesy casseroles and braised meats or stews - summer’s all about celebrating fresh, colorful produce. And this salad does just that.
I came up with this Italian-inspired summer corn salad, having actually set out to make a cold succotash salad with sweet corn and lima beans and a nice summery vinaigrette. But then I decided I really wanted to cook solely from the farmers market and not rely on any frozen or canned vegetables.
The corn and the tomatoes are a given, but I thought fresh mint would add a welcome brightness, and the pine nuts a nice toasty crunch. Between the firm corn, juicy tomatoes, fragrant mint and crunchy pine nuts, you’ve got yourself one satisfying warm-weather side dish.
Making this salad is as simple as a quick trip to your farmers market. You could do a Mexican-inspired version with avocados and cilantro, if you’d like, or add zucchini, parsley and red onion. The options are virtually endless.
SUMMER CORN SALAD Serves 4 to 6.
Ingredients: 5 ears fresh corn, husked 3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, halved 4 tablespoons pine nuts 4 tablespoons fresh mint, finely chopped 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons good-quality olive oil Salt and pepper Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and lay pine nuts out on a cookie sheet. Toast them for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are just fragrant and slightly brown.
In a medium-sized pot, boil the corn until kernels are just soft, about 3 minutes. Place in a bath of cold water to stop the cooking. Once corn is cool, slice the kernels off the cob and pour into your favorite serving bowl.
Toss in cherry tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, fresh chopped mint, oil and vinegar, and mix until just combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Megan Gordon is a writer for TheKitchn.com, a nationally known blog for people who love food and home cooking. Submit comments or questions to kitchn@apartmenttherapy.com.
Three Rivers, Pages 53 on 08/25/2011