Summer in the Happy Valley is a time of abundant fresh vegetables from the garden or the many local farm stands and farmer’s markets. Here’s a suggestion for a salad of marinated summer vegetables. Feel free to use whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand. The vinaigrette ties it all together. Serve the marinated veggies on a leaf of fresh lettuce as a refreshing light meal or a delicious side dish. Save and refrigerate any left-over vinaigrette for up to 3 or 4 days.

Marinated Summer Vegetables
4 servings

VEGETABLES
· 12 Red or Orange Cherry tomatoes
· 1 ear of fresh corn husked and cut off the cobb
·  8 green beans; tips cut off
·  16 slices of cucumber (1/16-inch slice) (about a 4-inch piece of cuke)
·  1 tablespoon of chopped shallot or red onion (optional)

VINAIGRETTE-MARINADE
·  4 tablespoons of white Balsamic vinegar
·  3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
·  2 tablespoons lime juice
·  ½ teaspoon kosher salt
·  ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
·  6-8 tablespoons olive oil (to taste)
·  1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (I use lemon thyme if available)

METHOD
1. Whisk together the ingredients for the vinaigrette.
2. Cut the tomatoes in half.
3. Cook the corn in boiling water for two minutes. Remove and submerge in cold water. Once cool, slice off the kernels.
4. Using the same hot water you boiled the corn in, blanche the green beans for 2-3 minutes until tender- crisp; remove and submerge in cold water. Dry the beans when you remove them from the water. Cut into 1 ½ inch pieces.
5. Peel and slice the cucumber.
6. Chop the shallot or onion. (optional)
7. Combine all the veggies in a medium bowl and pour over the vinaigrette. Allow the veggies to marinate for an hour.
8. Serve sprinkled with fresh thyme leaves and freshly ground black pepper.
9. Reserve and refrigerate any left-over vinaigrette for your next salad.

Wine pairing: a crisp dry wine like Chablis, Sauvignon Blanc, Vinho Verde, Vermentino, Rueda, Albariño

This recipe for Mexican Roasted Chili Lime Corn is inspired by the ubiquitous street vendors in Mexico who sell grilled corn (elote) brushed with “crema” (similar to mayonnaise) and flavored with lime and chili powder or cayenne. Locally, the “cornoscenti” of Happy Valley will tell you that picked corn over a day old is not sweet; it’s starchy, and not worth eating. That may have been true in years past, but newer varieties of corn retain their sugars longer and remain sweet if refrigerated in their husks for a few days. Of course in our farm-to-table Happy Valley community with so many farm stands, eating corn more than a day old during corn season is sacrilegious. If your source of corn on the cob is other than a local farm stand, look for ears of corn with fresh tender silk and fresh green husks, not dry and brittle. Any leftover roasted corn can be cut off the cob and saved to make a delicious Roasted Chili Lime Corn and Tomato Salad , or you can freeze cooked corn freshly cut off the cob and stored in zip lock bags for 6 months or more without sacrificing taste. Truly, one of the great gifts of summer!

Serves 4-6
Ingredients:

6 ears of fresh corn
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
2 teaspoons lime juice
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro (optional)
finely crumbled Cotija cheese (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat your grill to about 450 degrees.

Melt the butter and add the chili powder, lime zest, lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
Cut off the silky tips of each ear of corn and remove any loose husk. The husks should look fresh and green.
Put your ears of corn on the preheated grill and cook covered over direct heat for 3 minutes per side turning until all four sides of the ear have been exposed to the heat. (12 minutes total) The moisture in the fresh corn husks will steam the corn and the toasting husks will add some smokey flavor as your corn cooks. This will produce crisp, crunchy, sweet roasted corn. (Note: the longer you cook corn, the more the natural sweet sugars convert to starch; overcooking corn yields chewy starchy kernels.)
Remove the corn from the grill and allow the corn to cool for a minute or two. Starting at the silky end of the corn, tear off the husks and silk. An added plus to this technique is that it’s actually easier to husk roasted corn than to husk uncooked corn.
Once you have husked the corn and removed any bits of silk. Brush the chili-lime butter on your ears of corn and serve while still hot.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and crumbled Cotija cheese. (optional)

Print Recipe

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93499757
https://www.cookinglight.com/food/in-season/how-long-does-fresh-corn-stay-good
https://www.food.com/recipe/grilled-corn-with-chili-lime-butter-169813
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/chili-lime-corn-on-the-cob-recipe-1941386

Marinated Summer Vegetables →

Mexican Roasted Chili Lime Corn →