Corn Summer Salad

Corn Summer Salad

Thanks to Selene Jones, Member-Owner, for sharing this recipe.

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Growing up, summer was always my favorite time of year. Summer meant no school, days spent in the public pool, sleepaway camp, and all my favorite fruits and veggies. I still love summer, except work doesn’t stop, I haven’t found an adult sleepaway camp, and I can’t spend every second at the pool. One thing that hasn’t changed is my excitement for all my favorite seasonal fruits and veggies finally being available at the farmers’ markets. 

Fresh corn is one of my absolute favorite summer foods. Whether grilled, steamed, or raw, I can’t get enough corn in the summer. When I was in high school, my mom’s best friend brought over this corn summer salad for one of our summer BBQs, and my mind was blown. It had fresh corn, tomatoes, another one of my favorite fruits, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil. It was the perfect side dish for any summer meal. My mom’s friend gave us the recipe, and together, my mom and I made it almost every week all summer. 

When I think about corn salad, I think about community and how a simple dish can unite us. Last year I moved to a small house in South Tabor, to a quiet neighborhood where I didn’t know any of my neighbors. Slowly over the last couple of months, as the days got longer and hotter, I started to meet and connect with the little community on my block. Last weekend we had a block party, and I knew exactly what I wanted to bring. The corn salad was a hit and reminded me how food can play an essential part in bringing us together. 

There have been some tweaks to the recipe over the years, but the heart of it has stayed the same; corn and tomatoes with some olive oil and basil! I hope you share and enjoy this dish with your family and friends. It is perfect as a side for those summer potlucks and BBQs. Mix it with fresh spring mix to make it a more traditional salad. Or grill the corn before taking it off the cob to give it a smoky flavor. You can do so much with this recipe, so make it your own. 

Ingredients:

• 4 Large ears of fresh corn (shucked and sliced off the cob) 

• 1 basket of cherry tomatoes (halved)  

• 1 shallot (diced) (can substitute ½  red onion)

• 8-10 leaves of basil (roughly chopped) 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 

• ½ teaspoon of salt 

• 1 lime or ½ lemon juice 

• Fresh pepper to taste 

• (Optional) Fresh mozzarella balls cut into bite-sized pieces 

• (Optional) One whole avocado (cut into small cubes) 

Recipe:

Shuck the corn and cut the corn off the cob into a bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, diced shallot, roughly chopped basil leaves, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Give everything a good mix. If you are adding mozzarella or avocado, throw those in the bowl and mix again. Serve and enjoy!

Scallion/Spring Onion Pancakes

Scallions and spring onions tend to come with their tops and please use them all. Spring onions vary in size. I like to use quite small ones (about 1-inch thick and 2-3 inches long) but just be sure you have a good mix of onion bulb/white parts and green stalk.

 

Yields about 20 pancakes (4-5 inches each)

 Ingredients

1 large bunch scallions or spring onions, washed and trimmed of roots

2 eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1 1 /2 cups water

1/4 cup chopped kimchi (optional)

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Oil for pan-frying

Dipping Sauce:

1/3 cup soy sauce or tamari

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic or 1 stalk green garlic, minced

Cut the scallions or onion stalks into 1-2-inch lengths and cut the white part or the spring onions bulbs into thin rounds. In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the flour, water and salt. Add the scallions/onions and kimchi, if using, and mix well. Taste for salt. If you’re using kimchi you likely won’t need any more. The batter should be fairly runny, a bit thinner than regular pancake batter.

Stir together all the dipping sauce ingredients in a small bowl.

Lightly cover the bottom of a large, heavy skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot fry the pancakes, either in typical pancake size or large, to fit the pan. If doing the latter you’ll cut them into wedges to serve. Fry for about 3 minutes per side or until golden. Serve with the dipping sauce.

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Young Garlic & Squash Blossom Risotto

Ingredients

• 4 or 5 cloves of the mild, young garlic with soft, wet skins, OR 3 cloves of pungent, cured summer garlic.

• one large or two smaller spring onions

• arborio rice (350 g, about 3 1/2 cups)

• white wine (200 ml- a little less than a cup)

• hot vegetable stock (1.25 litres- about 5 1/2 cups)

• butter (have a stick on hand, use your own judgement from there)

• olive oil

• squash blossoms (several, from your garden, or available at farmers markets)

Directions

Peel and slice, then chop the garlic and spring onions. 

Wash and set aside your squash blossoms.

Grate the parmesan cheese and set aside. 

Melt the butter and olive oil in the base of a good heavy bottom (half-height, if you have one) soup pot. I do feel strongly that a wide base is essential for good risotto. 

A good tool is also essential. Make sure your tool can safely scrape the bottom of your pan. A wooden flat spatula (just make sure its tip is thin enough) is good on enamel pots, a strong metal spatula on steel. 

In another soup pot or tall saucepan, heat your prepared stock. Ideally, make a good garlicky broth. You could also make a fresh young garlic stock by cooking some other cloves in butter, topping off with salt and water, then boiling/simmering (perhaps with a cheesecloth sachet of parsley stems) until the taste comes through. 

Add the chopped onions and garlic and cook over medium heat until softened. Add the arborio rice and cook for a minute or two more. Scrape out a circle in the center, then add the white wine. It should sizzle and steam on contact. Stir vigorously so the rice absorbs the alcohol. Cook this way for about 2 minutes, until the liquid is gone and the rice is just barely starting to stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Make another circle with your tool. Add a ladleful of stock, then stir vigorously to incorporate. Repeat this process, taking progressively longer between ladlefuls. You'll notice the stock absorbs quite quickly at first, then as the rice cooks, it will slow. You don't want the rice to break down very much and become gummy, so the sweet spot is where you can feel whole grains on your tongue, but they are entirely tender. 

When most of the stock is absorbed (I almost always stop before I've reached the end of the pot) and the risotto is delicious, turn the heat off. Add the squash blossoms and parmesan and another good knob of butter. Stir to incorporate, then cover to let the squash blossoms delicately steam.

Serve with grilled summer vegetables, dressed with lemon zest and lemon juice, grassy olive oil, salt, and pepper. Top each serving of risotto with another sprinkling of parmesan and, if you have access, some herb flowers. 

Recipe courtesy of Andrew Barton, photo by Peter Schweitzer.

Fried Green Meatlessballs

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil

• 1 small red onion, diced

• ½ tsp salt

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• ½ cup cilantro, roughly chopped

• 1 tbsp cumin seeds

• ¼- ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 bunch kale, chopped finely

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• ¾ cup almond flour (or breadcrumbs)

• ½ cup sheeps milk feta, crumbled (or regular feta)

• fresh cracked pepper

• 1 or 2 eggs

• oil for frying

Tahini Lemon Sauce

• ¼ cup tahini

• ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 2 tsp miso paste*

• 1 tsp maple syrup

• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

To make tahini lemon sauce, add all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk until uniformly combined. If sauce seems too thick, add a splash of water. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skilled over medium heat. Add red onion and salt and cook until onion is slightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic, cilantro, cumin and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

Add in the kale and cook until wilted. If pan seems dry, add a few splashes of water, cover and let steam for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Pour greens mixture into a large bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes.

Add in almond flour (or breadcrumbs), feta and some fresh cracked pepper. Taste the mixture and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Finally, add in the egg and mix until incorporated. Using your hands, try to form a ball. If it doesn’t hold together, add another egg and try again. Form the mixture into balls and flatten slightly so they resemble patties. I made 6 large ones, but you could also make 8 smaller sized ones.

Heat a generous amount of oil in a pan on medium high. Once oil is hot, add the balls to the pan – it should sizzle. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until deep brown and crispy. Flip each ball carefully using a fork or spatula and cook an additional minute.

Serve over rice for a hearty meal or enjoy as an appetizer. Generously drizzle my tahini lemon sauce over top.   

Recipe adapted from Food 52 by Natalie Bickford.