We start off this week’s Quick Hit with an apology for the lack of updates last week.
I mistakenly thought I would have time to do some quick edits to the auto-posts that were supposed to go up while we toured Europe and unfortunately, between the non-stop running around and the crummy WordPress mobile app — horrid on both the iPhone and the Droid — it just wasn’t feasible to put forth my semi-best effort in the Football Foodie. My hope is that dozens of regular readers didn’t fall off the wagon and eat nothing but a box of Bugles during an afternoon of football. (Do Bugles still come in a box? It’s been so long since I’ve had Bugles, I have no idea if they’ve joined the modern world and are now packaged in bags instead of boxes.)
Speaking of regular readers, Carolina Blue is leading the Football Foodie CFB Pick’em Pool and Matthew Leach is in first our NFL league. Since he has a busy weekend of covering the Cardinals play the Phillies in Game 5 of the NLDS, if you’re going to make a run at his position at the top, this is the week to do so. Carolina Blue has atop the CFB Pick’em for weeks, so you’re best bet there is to start cheating off of their test paper a few hours before game time.
I’m still disoriented from traveling and still a little lost on the football front (more on this later), so let’s get this week’s Quick Hit going before I fall asleep during the Bruins Cup ceremony.
Chipotle Grilled Corn Salad
When tailgating and bringing food to parties, the refrigeration and cooling situation is always a bit dicey. At some point, you’ll need more room in the cooler for beer and as much as I love potato salads and macaroni salads, the last thing I want to leave out in the sun during a pre-game round of cornhole or pin-the-tail-on-Rex-Ryan is any sort of mayonnaise or cheese dressed food.
This is one of those recipes that you’ll adjust each time you make it based on what’s fresh at the market and how much heat your feeling like each week. For example, when I shared this recipe with Rob Iracane in New Jersey earlier this summer his first reaction was, “Those better not be grape tomatoes!” But out here in California, grape tomatoes were in far better form than the cherry tomatoes I saw at the market. Maybe he’d never had a good experience with grape tomatoes — they do tend to be a little sweeter — or maybe the grape tomatoes they get back in Jersey just aren’t very tasty. Personally, I prefer grape tomatoes in salads when they’re in season because they’re not as watery and hold up in a salad over a longer period of time.
As for the corn, if it’s in season you can grill up six or seven ears of corn for the salad. Not in season or looking for an easier method? Charring frozen corn is one of the easiest things you can do in the kitchen without sacrificing much flavor. Still too much work? You can buy charred frozen corn.
What’s great about this salad is the touch of heat to contrast with the sweetness of the corn. Ground chipotle and ancho chilies — sometimes a touch of cumin, sometimes not — are a perfect match for anything you put on the barbecue.
You will need…
6-8 ears of fresh corn, grilled and removed from cob or 2 1-pound bags of frozen corn
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
3-4 scallions
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Juice from 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
1-2 teaspoons ground ancho chili
1-2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2-1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
2-3 cups of arugula (optional)
If grilling the corn on the cob, lightly brush with vegetable or canola oil and cook until lightly charred. Cool and remove from cob. If using frozen corn, heat in a cast iron skillet or grill until lightly charred and then cool.
While the corn is cooling, halve the grape tomatoes, slice the scallion, dice the red pepper and mince the cilantro and garlic. Toss together.
Mix the vegetable oil, spices, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
Toss together the cooled corn, tomato mix and dressing together.
Test the seasoning, add more spices, salt and pepper if desired. In the batch, I went heavy on the cumin.
Add the arugula just before serving.
Alright. Hopefully back in the saddle tomorrow. Weirdest football season for me yet.
- 6-8 Ears of fresh corn, grilled and removed from cob or 2 1-pound bags of frozen corn
- 1 pint grape tomatoes
- 1 red bell pepper
- Small bunch of cilantro, about 2-3 tablespoons minced
- 3-4 scallions
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- juice from 1 lime (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- 1-2 teaspoons ground ancho chili
- 1-2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½-1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
- 2-3 cups of arugula (optional)
- If grilling the corn on the cob, lightly brush with vegetable or canola oil and cook until lightly charred. Cool and remove from cob.
- If using frozen corn, heat in a cast iron skillet or grill until lightly charred and then cool.
- While the corn is cooling, halve the grape tomatoes, slice the scallions, dice the pepper and mince the cilantro and garlic. Toss together.
- Mix the vegetable oil, spices, salt and pepper to make the dressing.
- Toss together the cooled corn, tomato mix and dressing together.
- Test the seasoning, add more spices, salt and pepper if desired.
- Add the arugula just before serving.
