I see that President Joey was right about one thing – the helicopters evacuating Americans from our embassy in Kabul are not landing on the roof…so far.
Given the state of the world I did the only thing a rational person can do: I went to the farmers market. Once there I proceeded to over-buy, well, everything: zucchini, eggplant, corn, blueberries, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers. I always forget that I have to deal with all this produce once I cart it home and the rush is over.
So I made a pot of ratatouille.
It will be served hot, baked with mozzarella and parmesan, then cold, with crusty bread and maybe some salami. Even then I’ll still have enough left to freeze a couple of servings for later when fresh produce like this is nothing more than a fond memory.
But I couldn’t help myself, with Raj as my co-dependent accomplice I swept through the market, sweeping up more stuff than a family of eight could possible eat, especially corn. That wasn’t really my fault though; after I’d purchased my standard allotment of bi-color (see: I can be progressive!) corn from my usual purveyor I ran into another favorite vendor who had a small stash of the world’s most rare and elusive corn, a new silver queen variety – as sweet as any bi-color and then some. That’s right, my white supremacy emerged and forced me to purchase another half dozen ears. So now, depending on how you choose to view it, I’m either corn rich or corn heavy.
Of course I could always make corn relish but I generally save that task for the very end of the harvest season, plus I didn’t have any poblanos on hand which I like to use and it seemed a bit too warm to get the canner out Of course those are all simply excuses for the real reason which was “I just don't feel like it.” So I spent some time scrolling through pictures of corn salad recipes on the internet looking for something new as I’ve already done several riffs on the standard corn/black bean/avocado mélange. And I found a winner; admittedly it sounds weird and you will no doubt go “yuk” but trust me, you doubting Thomases, this will become one of your favorite summer side dishes. And it took care of two of my surplus items: corn and blueberries.
Blueberry Corn Salad
Ingredients:
Salad
2 ears fresh, uncooked corn cut from cobs
1 c. blueberries
1/3 c. minced red onion
1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper
Dressing
¼ c. rice wine vinegar
¼ c. olive oil
1 smallish garlic clove, finely minced
¼ tsp kosher salt, black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste, I used 4 shakes
Instructions:
Place salad ingredients in a bowl.
Put all dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until well combined. Pour some of the dressing on the salad and stir to combine well, adding more dressing if needed. You’ll probably have about half of the dressing left over for another batch and trust me, there will be another batch. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
I’m thinking something green in it would be nice: basil, cilantro, parsley, a little mint perhaps?
There are dozens of recipes out there, I got mine here. Most use a variation of a honey-lime vinaigrette but I like this simple rice wine/olive oil/garlic version very much. You can also add all sorts of things to your salad if you’d like: diced cucumbers, avocado, jalapenos, cilantro, mint – even feta cheese. But honestly, I liked it just the way it’s written. It’s weirdly delicious. Raj was extremely skeptical but became a convert with the first bite. I might throw in some minced jalapeno and chopped cilantro to the leftovers today but that’s as ambitious as I intend to get all day.
So be careful out there good people, it’s a jungle out there and life’s too short.
Old roads, old dogs, old folks and old ways, still have a lot to offer in this sped-up world. – Unknown
Posts
