Recipe: Sweet Corn Salsa

Sweet Corn Salsa

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

There is something almost spiritual about harvesting sweet corn, walking down the dew-covered row the early morning hours, the towering stalks blocking your view from all sides. You walk the rows feeling each ear of corn; this one's too small, this one will be ready tomorrow, this one is perfect. And with a swift downward pull you release the stalk. Every harvester has the joy of taking a quick break to shuck a particularly perfect ear and indulge in that divine, dreamy sweetness of just-picked corn. Fortunately, that sweetness can lend itself to this salsa. Here we combine indigenous foods of the Americas into a most flavorful salsa. The combination of sweet, hot, and sour makes a wonderful pairing with grilled foods or, really, with just about anything. If you have a grill going, you can add a nice flavor to the salsa if, instead of sautéing, you rub the ears of corn lightly with oil and grill them over a low fire; roll the ears around with a pair of tongs so they cook evenly. A little charring is okay. Homemade salsa is best if used up the day it is made—and leftovers probably won't be an issue! From Friend of the Farm.

3 ears sweet corn
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 red onion, finely chopped, rinsed
1/2 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro leaves
freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes (about 1/4 cup)
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced (about 1/2 teaspoon) (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the corn kernels and sauté for 3 minutes.

2. Combine the corn and all remaining ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Serve warm or chilled.

Buy the Book!

from:
Farmer John's Cookbook
The Real Dirt on Vegetables
by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics
Gibbs Smith
360 pages; Paperback; $29.95
ISBN: 1-4236-0014-2
Recipe reprinted by permission.