two easy and delish summer salads-corn and tomato

two very easy salads that take minutes to make. the corn salad is one of the ways that i use the leftovers from 'corn on the cob'. the tomato salad is simple and more ingredients can be added but this version is quick and so good. the picture below is neither tomato nor corn but begged to be included...



cosmos, a future painting

i am still waiting for the large heirlooms to ripen. in the meantime, the 2 'glacier ' plants are producing an abundant supply of small, very sweet fruit. the cherry , black cherry and yellow pears are ripening fast also. for this salad, i chose the glacier and yellow pears. any combination of any variety will do

tomato salad
3-4 cups tomatoes cut into bite size
1 or 2 cloves of garlic sliced...or not
6 large basil leaves, sliced or slivered, i use scissors
3-4 tablespoon's good quality olive oil
1 tablespoon  white balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

stir all the ingredients and set aside at room temperature. do not refrigerate. matter of fact, never refrigerate tomatoes unless they are cooked or dried.

i always try to make this an hour or 2 ahead to let the flavors blend. and i stir while i am preparing the rest of the meal. good bread is essential to dip in the juice!!

it is the height of the corn season in central new york. no more tiny ears with tiny kernels. we are into the meaty ears and it is so sweet this year. we always buy more than we eat and then cut the kernals off the uneaten ears for later use. i use it in soup most of the time but love the corn salad i have been making this year.

cooking corn: steam it or grill it! where i grew up, everyone steams corn. an inch of water in the bottom of the pan and 10 minutes after it comes to a boil it is done. i have seem cooks boiling corn. a real waste of time and energy, really, and it takes so long for all that water to boil. if it can be grilled, it is even better than steamed .

corn salad
3 cups cold corn, cooked and cut off the cob
2 cucumbers, peeled and cut in bite size pieces
1 sweet onion or 1 bunch of green onions chopped
3 tablesoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
8  basil leaves,sliced, slivered or torn
salt and pepper to taste

stir and refrigerate till it is time to serve it...it will be a hit!

ENJOY!