Roasted Sweet Corn and Cherry Tomato Salad
fresh sweet corn, husked and on the cob
halved cherry tomatoes (red, orange, yellow)
olive oil
balsamic vinegar
salt
pepper
lime juice
lime zest
Place the corn on a baking sheet and drizzle with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 450◦F, turning every so often, until corn is cooked and beginning to color.
Meanwhile, do the same with the cherry tomatoes, drizzling with balsamic vinegar as well, roasting until tomatoes are blistering and beginning to soften.
Remove the corn from the cobs using a sharp knife and toss together in a bowl with lemon juice and zest. Taste and add any additional oil, salt, or pepper as needed.
- Crab cakes
- Roasted sweet corn and cherry tomato salad
- Pickled watermelon radish
- Lemon herb aioli
- Microgreens
Corn Bread Triangles
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup water
Mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Blend in the oil. Then blend in the water gradually to form a soft dough that is just dry enough to handle. Roll out to a thin circle (as thin as you want/can get it) then cut into triangles. Bake at 400◦F for 20 minutes or so until crisp and golden.
This is a cornbread-style recipe I came up with when I wanted something tortilla chip-like to use for my dip for a Latin/Caribbean buffet. This is what I came up with. The recipe doubles or halves well and has a nice texture and crunch. Alternately, the dough can be baked as biscuits, or cut even thinner and fried in oil or deep-fried.
Humitas (Ecuadorian Tamales)
6 dried corn husks, soaked in cold water for at least two hours
2 cups corn kernels
2 Tablespoons chopped white onion
1/2 cup oil
3 egg yolks
1/2 - 3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
3 egg whites, beaten until stiff
Purée the corn and onion together in a food processor, then add in remaining ingredients except for egg yolks. Mixture should be fairly stiff and not runny, add more cornmeal if needed. Fold in the egg whites. At this point, the mixture can be chilled until later (this helps firm it up as well).
Place about 1/4 cup of filling near the bottom of each corn husk, then fold up (fold edges in, fold bottom in, then fold top over). Secure with twine or with a skewer if desired.
Steam for about 45 minutes until filling is firm and cheese is melted. Serve with hot pepper sauce.
Crustless Mixed Vegetable Quiche
4 large eggs
3 cups milk
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
salt and pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bag (3 cups) frozen mixed vegetables, lightly steamed according to package directions
2 cups shredded cheese
Preheat oven to 350◦F. Grease or line one 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan or two 9-inch round deep-dish pie plates.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cornstarch, baking powder, parsley, and spices. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour mixture into prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
The vegetables, cheese, and seasonings can be varied to match your tastes. Leftover, fresh, or canned vegetables can all be used, as long as they are lightly cooked beforehand. Choose vegetables that are fairly small - I used a mixture of carrots, beans, peas, and corn. Not typical in a quiche, but it worked really well! This is a really easy recipe that requires no crust to fuss with. It is also vegetarian and gluten-free! It cooks very well, and can even be kept warm for a while without sacrificing quality. This dish really isn't anything special, but was the first to disappear and got raving reviews, so I guess it went over well.
Here is another restaurant food review post from a recent trip. This is Grilled Cajun Salmon with tropical fruit salsa, with corn on the cob and a side of roasted red pepper and tomato soup. If I could sum up this meal in just one word it would be spicy. The meal was very tasty and flavorful, but quite spicy; luckily I like a good amount of spice, though I certainly can't handle extreme spice. The main feature here is the salmon, which was rubbed generously on both sides with a dry Cajun spice rub, and grilled to perfection, with the bottom being close to blackened, but not quite as charred as most blackened fish usually is. The salmon was topped with a tropical fruit salsa that also contributed a fair amount of heat. Like most salsas, the vegetables (or fruits, in this case) are chopped and blended together with many spices and seasonings. It was difficult to determine the exact fruits used in the salsa, but I definitely did detect strawberries and a few different types of melon. I believe there was also some pineapple, some papaya, and maybe even some tomato, but I can't be sure. Whatever was in it, it was certainly tasty. The salmon came with your choice of side, including fries, salad, rice, or soup of the day. The soup of the day was roasted red pepper and tomato, which sounded pretty good to me, even if it was a fairly warm day outside. The soup was quite spicy, and the taste of roasted red pepper certainly came through. The soup wasn't extremely soupy, but not too thick either, just the right consistency. This was the only part of the meal I did not finish, not because it wasn't good, but because my tongue was already on fire from the Cajun salmon and fruit salsa, and I was already warm enough. The vegetable side that accompanies many meals is often overlooked, but considering I wasn't expecting anything with my salmon (nothing else was listed on the menu), I was pleasantly pleased. Maybe the vegetable that comes with the salmon differs depending on what is in season, but I was quite glad I got corn on the cob with mine. I'm not sure exactly how the corn was cooked, definitely not grilled, probably just boiled. It was spread with just the right amount of butter, and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and a hint of garlic. The entire meal arrived piping hot, and I could not wait to dive in!
I love corn on the cob! When it is in season, I eat it as much as I can. The season is just starting, and I have already had it twice now. Corn on the cob is just one of those foods, like watermelon, ice cream, and lemonade, that remind me of summer. I usually like my corn on the cob plain, although it is also good with a pat of butter, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Other seasonings, such as paprika, parsley, and garlic, are good too. We usually just boil corn on the cob to cook it, it is quick, easy, and simple. We have also grilled it on the barbecue, but this is trickier because the corn burns quite easily, and must be wrapped well. Also, usually it requires a parboiling as well to cook it completely. I just like my corn cooked enough so I can eat it, I don't really care how it is prepared, as corn is one of those foods where the taste does not vary greatly depending on how you cook it. The one thing about corn on the cob, is that it is corn on the cob. If you take the kernels off of the cob, it is no longer the same thing. I will eat corn off of the cob when it comes in a can or a bag, but I do not take the kernels off of the cob to eat. To me, that is simply defeating the purpose of corn on the cob. Eating it off the cob is so much fun; if you take it off it just isn't the same at all! Some people do this because the corn gets stuck in their teeth or braces, but this just won't do for me. We have several sets for eating corn on the cob. They consist of specially shaped plastic yellow trays that are perfectly shaped to fit a cob of corn. They also come with little spears to poke in both ends of the cob, so it is much easier to pick up and eat. If you are a big fan of corn on the cob, these are definitely worth the investment.
This is the Shepherd's Pie recipe that my mother and father developed years ago. It is actually the only Shepherd's Pie I have ever tasted, but I have read recipes for others, and know there are many variations on this one simple dish. This casserole is ages old, and was originally created as a stragetic and delicious way to use up leftovers. A simple combination of any ground meat, leftover mashed potatoes, and any old vegetables in the fridge. Tie this together with a sauce, based on broth, canned soup, or boullion and add some cheese or egg if you wish.
Our Shepherd's pie starts with frying up fresh onion and mushrooms with ground beef. Add in some corn, sometimes peas, condensed cream of mushroom soup, and chopped hard-boiled eggs. Spread it in a casserole dish and top with fluffy mashed potatoes. Then bake it until hot throughout. A new trick we use that I discovered is to top the potatoes with butter and broil them for the last few minutes of baking until golden. This just gives the pie a bit of a richer flavour and nice appearance.
A lovely, warm comforting dish for a slightly chilly fall day!
