I was flipping through my William Sonoma Outdoor Entertaining book to get ideas for the 4th of July party and I came across a Cherry Tomato and Corn Salad recipe. I had everything I needed, so I decided to make that on my lunch time break from gardening.
The Ingredients:
2 Large Ears of White Corn – the recipe called for 6 ears, but I was just taste testing the recipe, so I only made enough for 2 servings.
15-20 Assorted Cherry Tomatoes – Trader Joe’s mixed pack (I honestly didn’t count – just judging from the bowl photo)
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
2 Tablespoons Finely Chopped Basil – Fresh from the plant my bro gave me for my birthday
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Sherry Wine Vinegar
1 Teaspoon Sweet Cooking Rice Wine (Not pictured – added after the first taste)
2 Squeezes of Fresh Lemon
Ground Pepper and Salt to taste
I got my corn boiling in a pot filled with a little sea salt and a few splashes of Sweet Cooking Rice Wine. The corn spent about 8 minutes in the pot as it boiled, then I turned it off and let it steam for a good 20 minutes. I took the corn out of the water and let it cool at room temperature before cutting it off the cob.
After the corn had cooled, I cut my tomatoes in 1/2, chopped up my parsley, basil and corn and got them added to a large bowl.
I then added my Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Lemon, Sherry Wine Vinegar, Salt and Pepper. I tossed the mixture until everything was coated. I gave it a quick taste and it still needed something. I ended up adding a few splashes of the sweet rice wine and that worked well. I then slid the bowl into the fridge to chill.
The plan was to grill some meat for dinner to go with it. Plans changed and we ended up cleaning the pool tiles (Thanks Deede) and I did more yard work from inside the pool. I brought my clippers into the pool and tackled the back side of the kidney-shaped planter. My great idea turned a little sucky when a stupid bee decided to sting me in the armpit – Awesome! Ugh! Prior to yesterday’s bee sting, I’d only been stung once. I was 6 or 7 years old, camping with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin and I got stung in the corner of my eye. OUCH! My whole face swelled up and I had to go to the nearest emergency clinic. They gave me a shot. I’ve managed to avoid bees since then. So, I wasn’t sure if I was allergic or not. I got out of the pool, Dan used tweezers to get the stinger out and then I ran to the phone and called my Mom and Dad. They came through like champs. I put alcohol on the sting site – swigged 4 teaspoons of liquid Benadryl and put ice under my armpit. The good news, no horrible reaction – just a big bump.
O.k., back to dinner and the corn salad. We didn’t sit down to eat dinner until almost 8:30 PM. I made Dan a sandwich and I had a serving of the salad. It was perfect for a late night/light dinner on a very HOT evening.
Today is supposed to hit 104 degrees, woohoo! What’s your favorite summer non-lettuce based salad? I need some ideas for the BBQ.
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My favorite non-lettuce salad is a black bean salad. Rinse and drain 2 cans of black beans (I prefer Bush’s seasoned beans). Add 4 diced bell peppers (red, orange, yellow – any combination) and 1/2 a diced onion. Add 1T olive oil, 2-3T fresh lime juice, 3/4t salt, and 1t cumin. Mix well and let sit for a while to let the flavors blend better. Eat and enjoy!
Yum Lora – I made this last time I got the recipe from you – it was great, especially with lots of tortilla chips, LOL. I will make it for sure over the summer, trying to stay away from beans on the 4th since a chili cook-off is part of the festivities. Don’t want to kill anyone, hah!
That looks really refreshing for a hot day! I was watching “Giada at Home” over the weekend and can’t wait to try this Corn & Black Bean Salad w/Basil Lime Vinaigrette…
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/corn-and-black-bean-salad-with-basil-lime-vinaigrette-recipe/index.html
That recipe looks delicious! Thanks for the link.
Looks fantastic! I love the combination of corn with tomatoes or even with bell peppers.
I have a couple of salads that I love with the hot weather:
http://susikochenundbacken.blogspot.com/2010/03/black-bean-edamame-and-wheat-berry.html
or
http://susikochenundbacken.blogspot.com/2010/05/crunchy-pea-salad.html
The pea salad looks awesome – I had forgotten about the edamame, wheat berry combo – I made that back in may – first time cooking wheat berries our recipes were very similar – not surprising! 😉
I’m definitely trying this out – two of my favorite summer veggies together! I recently modified a recipe for shrimp/pasta salad that OMG – it is amazing! I could eat it every night of the week! I think the key is the herbs that you add to the dressing.
In a bowl mix together 1/4 cup of red wine vinaigrette dressing, 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint and a 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley.
Add 1 pound of cooked, de-tailed shrimp and toss (I bought the cooked shrimp at the seafood counter of the store and just tore the tails off as I put them in the bowl).
Add 1 chopped cucumber, 1 chopped red onion, and a bunch of halved cherry tomatoes – toss again.
The recipe didn’t call for it, but I added about 3/4 of a box of cooked farfalle (makes the salad last longer too).
Toss and chill
Serve with a sprinkling of feta on top (I used a LOT of feta since I love it – don’t mix the cheese in before serving – it gets soggy).
It was AMAZING – especially with a side of crusty French bread.
That sounds wonderful and you are right, with a side of crusty French bread, yum!
Hi Foo,
Another homemade remedy you can use for a bee sting is, just rub the site with a piece of garlic. I know it sounds weird but it works like magic. When I was growing up, I had the misfortune to be around bees a lot at my grandparents farm, so my grandma came to the rescue with this remedy. It works like a charm 🙂
That’s awesome, thanks for the tip Tina. Hope I never need to use it 😉