July is the beginning of corn on the cob season! That makes the old adage of “knee-high by the Fourth of July” not quite accurate. Eighty years ago it might have been true that corn plants were doing well if they were knee-high by the 4th of July, but with the current earlier planting dates, hardier hybrids and other technological advances, it’s no longer a good sign. “The corn is as high as an elephant’s eye,” a line from the song Oh, What a Beautiful Morning from the 1943 musical Oklahoma!, is more accurate today.
Buying locally grown corn is the best bet for the tastiest corn on the cob. Once corn is picked, its natural sugars start turning to starch. The process is slowed by refrigeration, but if you can’t get locally grown corn on the cob, canned or frozen corn that is processed at the time of picking will be sweeter than corn on the cob that was picked last week & shipped across the country.
While we are talking corn, it is true that most early maturing sweet corn varieties will have one ear of corn per plant. Later maturing varieties may have two harvestable ears. And a few more fun facts before we get to the recipe. Corn is a cereal crop that is part of the grass family. An average ear of corn has 800 kernels in 16 rows. There are always an even number of rows on the cob. Corn is produced on every continent in the world, with the exception of Antarctica. And one last one: for every kernel of corn on the cob, there is one strand of silk. Now, onto the recipe!
Corn, Pineapple & Black Bean Salad
Corn, Pineapple and Black Bean Salad (adapted from cooking.com)
Total Time: 35 minutes Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, from about 3 to 4 ears or 1 15.25-ounce can of sweet corn, drained
Our local corn wasn’t quite ready last week when I wanted to make this dish so I had to resort to canned corn.
- 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch thick fresh pineapple chunks or 1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 red bell pepper or 1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- zest & juice of a lime
- salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat the broiler. If using fresh ears of corn, lightly oil then broil the shucked corn cobs for a total of 15 minutes, turning twice to brown all sides of the ears. When they are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob. If using kernels of corn, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Once the oil is hot, add the corn and cook it until it is nicely browned, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes.
In the meantime, toss the pineapple chunks with a teaspoon of oil and place them on a sheet pan about 6 inches under the broiler. Cook the pineapple for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it is lightly charred. Remove it from the broiler and when it is cool enough to handle, chop the pineapple into 1/4-inch pieces.
To roast the pepper, heat the grill to medium-high heat. Halve, core & seed the pepper. Flatten the pepper halves and roast them, skin side down for about 5 minutes, until the outside is blackened.
Put the pepper on the grill with the skin side down.
Remove the pepper from the grill and put it in a covered bowl to steam & loosen the blackened skin for 5 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, scrape off the blackened skin and discard it. Chop the roasted pepper.
Scrape off the charred skin from the pepper halves.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, pineapple, black beans, red onion, bell pepper, chipotle powder, cilantro, lime zest & juice and a pinch of salt.
Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl.
Refrigerate the salad until ready to serve.
Lots of summer flavors here!
A great dish for a summer get together! ~Linda
Corn, Pineapple and Black Bean Salad (adapted from cooking.com)
Total Time: 35 minutes Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, from about 3 to 4 ears or 1 15.25-ounce can of sweet corn, drained
- 1 1/2 cups 1/2-inch thick fresh pineapple chunks or 1 20-ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 red bell pepper or 1/2 cup diced roasted red bell pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- zest & juice of a lime
- salt to taste
Directions:
Preheat the broiler. If using fresh ears of corn, lightly oil then broil the shucked corn cobs for a total of 15 minutes, turning twice to brown all sides of the ears. When they are cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob. If using kernels of corn, heat 2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Once the oil is hot, add the corn and cook it until it is nicely browned, stirring frequently, about 3 to 4 minutes.
In the meantime, toss the pineapple chunks with a teaspoon of oil and place them on a sheet pan about 6 inches under the broiler. Cook the pineapple for about 8 to 10 minutes, until it is lightly charred. Remove it from the broiler and when it is cool enough to handle, chop the pineapple into 1/4-inch pieces.
To roast the pepper, heat the grill to medium-high heat. Halve, core & seed the pepper. Flatten the pepper halves and roast them, skin side down for about 5 minutes, until the outside is blackened. Remove the pepper from the grill and put it in a covered bowl to steam & loosen the blackened skin for 5 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle scrape off the blackened skin and discard it. Chop the roasted pepper.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, pineapple, black beans, red onion, bell pepper, chipotle powder, cilantro, lime zest & juice and a pinch of salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve.