Driving down the dusty lane, leafy green corn stocks with their golden tops grow in neat narrow lines. A small wooden sign with the words, “Fresh Corn,” is propped up against a wooden post. Following the green arrows, I arrive at the source. Nothing tastes better than corn slathered in butter, and getting it fresh from the field tastes even better.

Now that the corn is ripe and plentiful, there are many ways to serve these golden niblets. Today’s Corn Salsa recipe can be used as an appetizer, or served as a delicious summer salad. Accompanied with grilled steak, it makes a delicious meal.

And if you like things on the spicy side, try the Spicy Butter recipe below, it will add some zing to your cobs.

My favourite place to find recipes is at www.epicurious.com. Users provide their comments and offer suggestions for improving the recipe. Today’s recipes are from this site.

Corn Salsa with Cilantro Dressing

Directions

In a large bowl combine the following:
3 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 6 small ears of corn)
1 red pepper chopped

1 orange pepper chopped
2/3 cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup black beans (from can – rinsed)

In blender, purée until smooth:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
1 garlic clove
Salt and pepper

Preparation

Just before serving, pour dressing over corn mixture and toss. This makes a great appetizer or add it to a salad and serve with grilled chicken or steak.

We all love to slather our corn with salt and butter, but if you want to add some zing to your cobs, try this spicy butter instead.

Spicy Butter

Ingrediants

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime peel
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Sugar (optional)
8 ears of corn

Directions:

Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)

To boil corn: Bring large pot of water to boil; add pinch of sugar, if desired. Husk corn. Add corn to pot. Return water to boil and cook corn until water starts to boil and corn has turned a darker shade of yellow. Drain corn and serve immediately with lime-chive butter.

To grill corn: Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Remove all but the innermost husks from corn. Fold back inner husks and remove corn silk. Rewrap inner husks around corn. Grill until husks are slightly charred and corn is tender, turning often, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately with lime-chive butter.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 5:29 pm and is filed under Entertaining, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.