Sunny Corn and Tomato Salad

 

Sunny Corn and Tomato Salad

(Adapted from May 2023 Southern Living Magazine)

Ingredients:

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

Avocado or olive oil spray

1 (10 oz.) package frozen corn

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Handful of salad greens (optional)

Slices of lime for serving and squeezing

Directions:

Place tomatoes in a salad bowl. 

Spray an iron skillet with avocado or olive oil spray.

Pour corn into skillet and cook over medium, stirring a few times, until corn looks lightly toasted and slightly browned, about five minutes.

Remove corn from pan and add to tomatoes in salad bowl.

Add chopped cilantro to tomatoes and corn.

Set salad bowl aside and allow corn to cool while you make dressing.

Make dressing by whisking lime juice, olive oil and mayonnaise together.

Add dressing, salt and pepper to corn, tomatoes and cilantro and stir to combine.

If using, put salad greens on a serving plate and place corn and tomato salad on top.

Serve with lime slices.

Farmers Market Feast

I love farmer's markets. They are a fairly new experience for me because for years, I was too exhausted from work and running the girls around all week to go anywhere on a  Saturday morning. I do have memories of going to them as a kid; my mom would buy lots of fruit and vegetables that were in wooden woven pint containers and little bushel baskets. When we got home, she would let us husk the corn outside. Then we would pretend we were Rumpelstiltskin making gold by turning out bikes upside down and running the corn silk through the spinning wheels. Although I never showed my girls that fun little activity, they discovered farmer's markets on their own.  When Jenn was living close by, she took me to one by her house and I remembered how wonderful they are.  This summer I have been inspired by the beautiful vegetable salads I've been seeing in the foodie magazines. And, when I get the chance to go out to lunch, I've been so impressed by how eating one's vegetables seems to be back in style; it's so trendy now to like corn and beets!   The last salad is just fresh tomatoes and basil with a simple homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  It's so easy to eat healthy in the summertime. Grab a fork; enjoy the feast! 

Corn, Bean, and Tomato Salad

Ingredients for Four Servings:

3 ears of corn on the cob
1 pound fresh green beans
2 large tomatoes
3 green onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Either use left over corn on the cob or cook the corn by husking it, brushing off the corn silk, and dropping it in boiling water for seven minutes.  When it is cooled, stand the cob upright and use a sharp knife to cut off the kernels. It's alright to have some kernels that stay together in big "patches".
Snap the ends off the beans, rinse them, and place in a sauce pan.  Cover them with water, bring it up to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for just barely five minutes. They should be tender but not mushy. Drain them and set aside.
Wash, core, and chop the tomatoes.
Wash, cut the little end roots off, and slice the green onions.
Place the corn, beans, tomatoes, and green onions in a bowl.
Whisk the vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper together.  Pour over the vegetables in the bowl and gently toss.

Lemon Dill Beet Salad

Ingredients for Four Servings

6 medium sized fresh beets

1 yellow bell pepper

Salt and Pepper to shake

1/4 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped

1/2  tablespoon finely chopped preserved lemon* or 1 teaspoon lemon zest

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

6 tablespoons olive oil

Some really good olive oil for drizzling

Scant teaspoon of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup Greek yogurt or labneh*

*There is a little Middle Eastern grocery store near my house where I can buy jarred preserved lemon and labneh. The labneh is just really thick yogurt - I've been buying it for years - it's great for dips and sauces for Mediterranean food.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets and cut off the tops to get rid of the stems. Place the beets in a foil "packet" and drizzle them with olive oil. Shake a little salt and pepper on them and seal them up. Wash and core the yellow pepper, cutting it into four quarters. Place the yellow pepper in another foil packet and drizzle it with olive oil.  Shake some salt and pepper on it and seal it up.  Place both packets in the preheated oven and let them cook for an hour.  Let them cool. Peel or cut the skin off of the beets and cut them into slices. Cut the pepper into strips.
Arrange the beets and pepper slices on a serving platter.
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and preserved lemon or zest.
Pour over the beets and peppers.
Sprinkle the cut up dill over the vegetables.
Drizzle with just a bit more olive oil.
Sprinkle the kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on top.
Place two tablespoons of the yogurt on each serving.

Tomato Basil Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Four Servings

Four good sized fresh, ripe tomatoes

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, washed

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons  balsamic vinegar

1 small glove garlic, put througha  press

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 pinch pepper

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Wash, core, and slice the tomatoes.  Gently toss with the fresh basil and put in a serving bowl or platter.  Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and pinch of pepper. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes and basil and sprinkle with the kosher salt and pepper.

Salta Style: Empanadas, Humita, and Milanesas from "The North"

Last spring, when I visited Buenos Aires and Mendoza, I thought all the food I sampled were just delicious.  However, I kept hearing that the best empanadas in Argentina were found in the province of Salta. I got my wish to try some Salta style cooking when Allison's Argentine friend Lucas came to visit. He graciously gave me a cooking lesson while making us a wonderful meal. Located in "The North", the cuisine of Salta is influenced by native culture, their neighbors in nearby Bolivia, and Italian, Spanish, and Arab immigrants. The impact of those factors is evident in the spices used: paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and peppers. But what really surprised me was adding nutmeg in the "marinade" for the steak.  I loved the way it played off the cumin and enhanced the flavor of the milanesas.  Besides the milanesas, Lucas made us two other Salta specialties.  Humita is a cheesy corn dish that is often wrapped in corn husks and steamed.  Here it is "from the pot" and contains paprika and a touch of chili powder along with sauteed onions, peppers, and tomatoes. We also had Empanadas Saltenas which are unique since they have finely chopped potatoes in them and a bit cumin. All that's needed to complete this feast is a simple salad of lettuce, tomato, and avocado along with some yellow mustard and lemon slices to serve with the milanesas.  

Salta Style Milanesas

Ingredients for Eight Servings:

2 pounds of very thinly sliced sirloin tip steaks

4 eggs

8 garlic cloves, put through a press

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup very warm (not boiling) water

4 cups unseasoned bread crumbs

Corn oil for frying

Directions:

Pound the steak with a meat tenderizer tool or something similar so it becomes about 1/4 inch thin. Cut the steak into portion sized pieces and set aside.  In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and add the garlic, cumin, nutmeg, salt, white pepper, and black pepper.  Add a cup of very warm (not boiling) water and whisk it in.  Submerge the steaks in the egg marinade.  Let them sit for 30 to 40 minutes.  Then pour a good amount of the bread crumbs onto a plate and dredge each piece of steak so it is coated.  Press down on the steak with your hand to insure that the bread crumbs adhere to the meat.  Add more of the bread crumbs to the plate as needed as you continue to coat the steak pieces. Pour an inch of corn oil into a large frying pan and heat it until a piece of bread crumb placed in it sizzles.  Over medium heat, fry both sides of each milanesa until the outside is a golden brown and when you cut into it, the meat is done.  Be careful that the heat does not get up too high so that the crust burns and the meat inside is not done. This takes about seven minutes per side; it's best if the meat is turned over just once to keep the crust on.   When the meat is brown on both sides, take it out of the pan and place on paper towel to get rid of the excess oil.  Then place on a serving platter and serve with lemon slices and yellow mustard on the side.  These are best served right away.  If you don't plan on frying  up all the milanesas at once, Lucas shared that they can be kept in the freezer for up to a week.

Humita

Ingredient for Eight Servings:

2 large (32 oz.) cans of corn

(or 8 cups of fresh corn cut off ear of corn)

1 medium onion, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 medium tomato, diced

2 tablespoons corn oil

1 cup vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

16 oz. mozzarella cheese, shredded or cut into pieces

1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Process the corn kernels in a food processor just enough to break them down but not enough to let them get mushy.  Set the corn kernels aside.  In a good sized sauce pan, saute the onions, green pepper, and tomato in the 2 tablespoons of oil.  When they are tender, add the broth and simmer about 5 minutes.  Add the corn and continue to simmer for about 7 more minutes.  Pour in the cream and combine.  Add the mozzarella cheese and stir well until the cheese is melted.  Stir in the parmesan cheese to finish it off.   Transfer the humita into a large bowl or container and serve.

Salta Style Empanadas

Ingredients for about 48 empanadas:

1 pound ground beef

3 eggs, hard boiled

2 large potatoes

1 medium onion very finely diced

1 medium tomato, very finely diced

1/2  red pepper, diced very finely

1/2 green pepper, diced very finely

2 cloves garlic, put through a press

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup sliced green onions

2 packages of premade puff pastry or pie crust dough

Directions:

If the eggs are not already hard boiled, put them in a pot, cover them with water, and bring the water up to a boil. Turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and run cold water over the eggs.  Set aside.  Place the dough on a floured surface and roll it out a bit.  Use the top of a glass to cut out circles according to the size desired.  Set them aside. Place the ground beef, onion, red pepper, and green pepper in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until the meat is browned.  Drain off any fat.  Add the tomato and garlic and saute for about another minute. Take off the heat and set aside.  Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Put them in a pot, cover them with water, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and cook until tender and a fork pierces them easily.  Drain the potatoes and finely dice each cube. Add the potatoes, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper to the meat mixture and gently stir to combine. Set aside. Peel the eggs, chop them, and combine with the sliced green onions. Take a dough round, put a teaspoon or so of the meat mixture in the middle, and top it with 1/2 teaspoon of the egg mixture. Dip a finger into water and run it along the inside edge of the dough circle. Fold the circle in half and press the edges together to seal. Lucas flutes the edges by pulling the dough up and over, working from one edge all the way across to the other. The empanadas can either be fried in some corn oil or baked in a 400 degree oven for 12 minutes or until brown.