Roasted Corn and Pepper Salad
8 Comments
"Nothing is so beautiful as spring"--or so writes Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins. How very true! These are robin eggs in a small nest in the holly just outside our back door. The mother has been zealously watching over them for days. But their color! Isn't that incredible? Or as Hopkins goes on to write of spring in his native England: "[When] thrush's eggs look like little low heavens."
In New England, the world is certainly coming back to life, "charged with the grandeur of God" (for a little more Hopkins). So as you know, Bruce and I have got lots of salads at the ready, cold concoctions in the fridge, all the (second) best harbingers of the season (after robin eggs).
Here's how to make an easy but delicious corn salad for meals over several days--or as a side for anything that comes out of the oven or off the grill.
First, take the husks and silks off five corn ears. Set them right on the grate of a preheated, high-heat grill or in a grill pan set over high heat. Let the kernels get a little charred, nothing dramatic, turning the ears occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes in all. Once the ears are cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off each.
At the same time as you're charring the corn, char two red bell peppers, either directly over the heat on the grill or directly over an open flame. Once nice and blackened, seal them in a bowl or bag for 20 minutes, then peel off the char and chop them up. If you need help and further instructions, look at this recipe. Or want to make this whole thing even easier? Use jarred roasted red peppers, available in almost any supermarket.
Peel a medium cucumber and slice it in half lengthwise. Scrape out the seeds, then dice the flesh. Add these to the bowl with the corn kernels and roasted red bell pepper.
Now the dressing: add 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted nut oil (we used almond--but use a nice flavorful one, like hazelnut or pecan--remember: more flavor per bite), 1 1/2 tablespoon sweet vinegar (balsamic, rice, moscatel, white balsamic, or something like those), 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper.
Stir it up and it's lunch or a side dish in the fridge for days to come--something even ol' Gerard Manley Hopkins would crow about.
Reader Comments (8)
That first picture is too pretty! But so is this salad. It combines two ingredients that really speak to summertime!
I love anything with corn in it! Your salad looks delicious!
a bright, cheerful dish. my daughter will love it, she eats corn like it's candy or something. (not that i'm complaining). and she loves red peppers, too. i'll eat the cucumbers she leaves behind.
Dana, corn is candy, no?
M.
Those bird eggs are so beautiful. How wonderful to have that at your doorstep!
I am just amazed at this photo of the robin 's eggs; how beautiful and that blue!
Your corn salad is just delicious and prepared with such care. I love the pairing of corn roasted, and peppers; cumin adds a nice zing.
Mmmm,..I am eating this as I type and it is fabulous. I really like the cumin touch!
Wow, eating the very thing as you type. I assure you, that's a first for this blog! I feel honored, to be completely honest.
M.