Reaping the Benefits of Fresh Corn

From top: Close up of the colorful Corn and Tomato salad; Avocado Soup makes for an aesthetically pleasing first course
Sometimes I wonder why summer was so disproportionately blessed with heavenly produce. Trips to the farmer's market are especially rewarding this time of year (and dangerous for the bank account!). Other seasons may have their highlights, but to me, none can compete with summer's produce bounty. Each summer I anticipate the return of the corn-hawking man at the West Valley market, who shouts out the delicious benefits of his wares and his deeply discounted prices. No amount of haggling is needed to convince me to buy some sweet summer corn. Here are 2 recipes- one that I've made countless times over many summers and one new but bound to be a repeat. I hope you are enjoying this season's abundance of fresh produce!

Recipe: Tomato and Corn Salad

Notes: This recipe is a mainstay for my family every summer. It is exactly what I crave on a warm evening. We like to substitute basil or cilantro for the marjoram, but you can use whatever fresh herbs you like.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 ears fresh corn, husked

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

3 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram

4 large butter lettuce leaves

Procedure:

 Cook corn in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool. Cut kernels from cobs.

Whisk oil and vinegar in medium bowl to blend. Add corn, tomatoes, feta, and marjoram; toss to coat. 

From: Bon Appétit, August 2004

Recipe: Avocado Soup with Toasted Corn Kernels

Notes: I used only half of the jalapeno and everyone agreed that it was the perfect touch of heat without overpowering the soup. The recipe recommends serving the soup with cheesy toast.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved

1 jalapeno chile, seeds removed

4 avocados, halved and peeled

Grated peel of 1 lime and juice of 3 limes

3/4 cup cilantro leaves

Salt and pepper

3 cups chicken broth

2 cups fresh corn kernels

Procedure:

Using a food processor, finely chop 2 cloves of garlic and the jalapeno. Add the avocados, lime peel, lime juice, and 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves; season to taste with salt and pepper. Process until just combined. With the machine running, slowly pour the chicken broth until smooth. If the soup is too thick, add a little bit of water or more broth.

In a small nonstick skillet, toast the corn kernels over medium heat, stirring, until lightly browned. Season with salt and let cool. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the corn kernels into the soup.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with remaining corn kernels and cilantro leaves.

*I believe I ripped this recipe out of a Rachel Ray magazine. However, when I checked on her website, I couldn't find the recipe, but I believe it may be old enough to have been cycled out of their archives.