The Last Days of Summer's Bounty
Corn off the cob, tomatoes with watermelon, and a pretty zucchini salad to capture the peak of August goodness
We’re back in the city after a month on the road, and it seems as though there’s hardly anyone here. I love having this window of time to ourselves, with the streets relatively empty and the phone not ringing, an interlude before the back-to-real-life scramble begins. I’m enjoying being lazy in the kitchen and eating minimalist dishes filled with summer vegetables while their ripeness lasts. Here are some recent favourites:
Corn off the Cob with Chili Pepper Flakes
Surprisingly, this comes from a Parisian friend whose signature style is very bold vegetable dishes. You have to be ballsy to serve corn to French people in the first place (many of them consider it to be food for cows), but you have to be completely fearless if you’re going to bring it out and plunk it on the table as a main dish, which my brave friend did. I remember the moment: a vast terra cotta casserole brimming with glistening, slightly caramelized bright yellow kernels. I’m sure there were side dishes to go with it, but I can no longer remember what they were because I was so dazzled by the corn dish itself.
My friend starts by sautéeing pink shallot or onion, then adds the corn and chili pepper. I’ve done that, but I also quite like the corn on its own, with the just heat of the chili. Use fresh yellow corn, if you can find it, and not the ubiquitous variety called “Peaches and Cream,” which may have a more romantic name but doesn’t taste nearly as good.
As a matter of interest, if ever you’re batching this up for a crowd, know that one cob yields about a cup of kernels, so one per person is sufficient. I made the dish pictured above with a side of sautéed spinach and a wedge of feta for lunch, which was delicious. This recipe also makes a lovely side dish for, say, grilled chicken.
Makes: 6 to 8 servings
6 cobs yellow corn, husked
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon chili pepper flakes
Salt and pepper
A handful of torn basil leaves
Put the corn in a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil, salt, then simmer until plump and tender to a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold running water until cool enough to handle, then cut the kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife. Discard the cobs.
Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan. Add the corn and chili pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper and heat through, stirring, until slightly caramelized, a matter of minutes. Spill the corn into a shallow serving dish, scatter over the basil leaves, and serve.
