The Last of that Golden Summer Corn
Corn. That deliciously bright yellow cob of summer. Whether it’s steamed, grilled or cooked in its husks on the barbeque, I absolutely love it every which way it comes. But, always it must be fresh and eaten with a little good quality salt and butter. Yes butter and salt.
I still have vivid memories of my best ever corn experience. We were with good friends in the Bay of Islands (in Paihia) and whilst enjoying one of those deliciously ambling summer holiday-like strolls, we stumbled across a road-side vegetable man with a van. We swapped a handful of coins for an armful of corn and toddled our way home via the beach. What ensued that evening was pure delight at the sweetness and fresh corn-juice-spraying-factor that entertained us all around the dinner table. Every single person declared that cob the best darn corn they'd ever eaten. It was downright delicious!
While this summer we didn’t make it back up to the Bay of Islands to find the corn man with the van, what I did discover was this Al Brown recipe for a delicious Caramelised Carrot, Corn & Coriander Salad. At a New Year’s Eve barbeque and a salad table filled with the most colourful, nutritious and delicious salads, two bowls sat proudly beaming with corn and carrot and it was from this evening and the introduction to this recipe that my obsession with this salad began. So thank you ladies for the introduction!
As the corn season comes to a close, I took the opportunity to purchase a bundle of cobs from ‘Spudz n Greens’ at the Farmer’s Market on Sunday. And of course, I intend to whip them into Al Brown's delicious salad and enjoy it while I can before the glorious corn is gone for another season…so make sure you try it before it’s too late.
The salad is packed with nutrients, particularly Vitamin A which supports immunity and night vision and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin which are stored in the eye and further support eye health. Given that the days are getting shorter and darker, the more support we can give our eyes the better!
If there's only a small amount of salad left (because we've eaten most of it!), and it's not quite enough for lunch on its own, I'll often mix through ½ can of chickpeas and a few leftover roasted potatoes or kumara or any leftover meat and lunch is ready. Remember to use what you have in the fridge or cupboard to bulk out leftovers if need be…thrifty thinking is the way to go!
Enjoy!
