First of all, THANK YOU! to everyone who came out to say hi at the Clintonville Farmer's Market. It was so incredible to meet all of you and make some new friends as well. This sounds like such a dorky cliché, but all of your kind words really made my day. My week, actually. I think my head is kind of big now, which can only mean I'm due for some humiliation in the coming days. I'll try to keep my (giant) head low.
The day was lovely - the weather was perfect, with low humidity and a pleasant breeze. I've been on a bit of a cooking hiatus lately, so it was almost nice to not have the opportunity to shop - I won't have to feel guilty if I don't do any cooking. Well, I'll feel guilty for not writing anything, but that's an entirely differently kind of guilty.
At any rate, here are my recipes from yesterday's tasting. Alas, no pictures.
Balsamic Macerated Watermelon
It was fun to see everyone's surprise at how delicious this "recipe" is. I can't count how many people asked if there was sugar or salt or something else in the watermelon. Nope - just about an ounce of balsamic - the good stuff, the real thing, 12 year balsamic vinegar from Carfagna's at $18 a bottle - poured over one watermelon, cut into chunks, and left to sit in the fridge for 10 - 15 minutes. I know you're skeptical, but you should try it. For a surprising salad, top the watermelon with salty crumbled feta, or grated ricotta salata (a pressed, salted sheep's milk ricotta from Italy, also available at Carfagna's).
Sweet Corn Salad - serves 4
8 ears sweet corn
1 red bell pepper, roasted, and cut into small dice
1 poblano pepper, roasted, and cut into small dice
1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered or halved
1/4 cup good extra virgin olive oil
handful fresh herbs (such as tarragon, oregano, and basil) or 1 tbsp dried Italian herb blend
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
pinch freshly cracked black pepper
Have a large bowl of ice water ready, next to the stove. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the ears of corn, 4 at a time if necessary, for 3 minutes. Place the hot ears in the bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process, and allow them to sit in the water for about 5 minutes. Cut the kernels from the cob - again, you've heard me say it before, but cutting the kernels should be very easy. If you struggle, you probably have a dull knife (my favorite is a nice sharp sushi knife), or you are trying to cut the kernels too deep. You only need to remove the top half of the kernels. Place the kernels in a large bowl and add the peppers and tomatoes, toss lightly to combine.
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, herbs, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper together and pour over the sweet corn. Stir to combine completely and allow to sit at room temperature or in the fridge for about 1/2 hour to let the flavors meld, then give the salad another stir, taste and correct seasoning as needed.
