David Rubel's

What's For Dinner?

8/17/05

Corn Salads

Like most families, mine likes corn, and this time of year we buy and cook a lot of it, usually on the grill. Often, I’ll make extra so that we can have the leftovers as part of a simple meal later in the week. Here are two ways to fancy up the leftover corn. The first is a salsa-style recipe that I developed; the next is a recipe from Ina Garten, author of the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks. Her recipe is more Italian than southwestern.

Corn and Tomato Salad

5 ears cooked corn (to yield about 3 c of kernels)

fresh tomatoes (to yield about 1 1/2 c diced)

1/2 red or Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped

a handful of cilantro, coarsely chopped

a smidge of parsley, coarsely chopped (optional)

the juice of two limes (about 3 Tbs)

3 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs (see below).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn with the rest of the ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Make in advance, if possible, and let stand in the refrigerator so that the flavors can meld.

Basil Corn Salad

5 ears cooked corn (to yield about 3 c of kernels)

1/2 red or Vidalia onion, coarsely chopped

3 Tbs cider vinegar

3 Tbs olive oil

1/2 cup basil leaves, chiffonaded

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs (see below).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the corn with the rest of the ingredients, except the basil. Adjust the seasonings to taste. Add the basil just before serving.

Back to the Top

Tips

* I prepare corn for the grill simply by snapping off the piece of stalk at the base of each cob and then removing the outer layers of husk that were attached to it (about half of the total husk thickness). I grill the corn in the remaining husk, turning the cobs once or twice, until done. This usually takes only about 10 minutes, but the process is very forgiving. The outside layer of husk will typically blacken a little, but the char won’t reach the cob unless you have a super-hot grill and leave it the corn on much too long.

* There actually is a gadget you can buy for removing kernels from cobs, which works quite well, but you can make do with a sharp chef’s knife and a cutting board. Begin by trimming the thick end of the cob. Then stand the cob vertically on its newly trimmed end and slice down with the knife to release the kernels.

* An easy way to chiffonade basil is to stack several leaves together, roll them up into a cylinder, and then slice the cylinder thinly as though it were a salami.

Listener Feedback

Mary Louise Kearns recommends using an angel-food cake pan to contain the mess caused by liberating corn kernels from their cobs. According to Mary Louise, “If you jam the cob into the tube of an angel food pan positioned as though you wanted to fill it with batter and then use the tool you describe, the cut kernels will be neatly collected in the pan. This is particularly convenient when making large batches and avoids the problem of leaking corn liquid all over everything.

If you have tried one of these recipes and have an improvement or tip or variation to suggest, please e-mail David at dinner@wamc.org. Also feel free to send along your own family cuisine recipes. You can even request dishes that you'd like David to present in the future.

---

David Rubel is president of Agincourt Press, a book production company in Chatham, New York. He spends his days writing American history, then heads home after work to cook for his wife and two young children. His most recent book is The Story of America (DK, 2002).