Tomato Corn Summer Salad
It’s summer and it’s always best to eat vegetables when they are in season. This salad highlights some of the best harvests of the summer. The tomatoes are modestly seasoned to enhance their natural flavors. The corn and feta combination is unexpectedly delicious offering, a sweet and salty contrast to the earthy and robust flavors of the tomatoes, truffle oil and black pepper. This is one of those dishes that masterfully balances the six different flavors: salty, sweet, astringent, bitter, spicy and sour. It is a super simple salad with delicious complexity. It comes together in about 20 minutes so I encourage you to give it a try.
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 large heirloom tomatoes
- 2 ears of corn
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
Dressing
- 1 tsp trufle oil (optional)
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- salt and fresh group pepper
Instructions
- If your fresh corn still has the husk, remove husk and wash the corn before cooking.
- In a large pot bring water to boil. (You will need enough water to submerse the corn cobs.) Add corn and cook for 10 minutes.
- Drain corn cobs into a colander. Let it cool.
- While corn is cooling, slice heirloom tomatoes into wedges, place in a mixing bowl. Add oils, vinegar, half of the chopped basil, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and allow it to marinate and release its juices while the corn cooks.
- When cooled, cut the corn off the cob. Arrange corn in a platter. Add tomatoes mixture. By this point, tomatoes will be juicy, this is your dressing for the salad. Mix corn and tomatoes gently. Top with remaining basil and feta.
Notes
If you cannot find heirloom tomatoes, just use the freshest, juiciest tomatoes you can find.
If you cannot find the truffle oil, don’t worry about it, the salad is good with or without truffle oil.
If you don’t feel like dealing with fresh corn, use frozen. We now know that frozen vegetables often have a higher nutritional profile than fresh vegetables you buy at the supermarket. Fruits and vegetables frozen directly after harvest allows them to retain more of their vitamin and mineral content.
Plants start to lose their nutritional content from the moment they are picked, so always do your best to eat the freshest, organic fruits and vegetables you can find or afford.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are a great option. They have a high nutritional profile and they are also more affordable and convenient!
