I was expecting okra. We got kale instead. I was hoping for melons. Instead we got a half dozen ears of corn. And more celery! I’m saving half the celery for the potato and macaroni salads that will be on the table in July and sliced up the rest to add to the stock in the freezer for soup making later in the year.
More kale is ok, although in my mind I had moved on. I will make my usual kale salad – finely chopped kale, thinly sliced green onions (actually using the red onion scallions – I don’t know what else to call the young red onions), dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds, with a balsamic dressing that is just balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, pure (not extra virgin) olive oil and some honey, seasoned with salt and pepper. It’s a salad that keeps well, just becoming more wilted as it waits. I’ve found it’s still good even four days later – and I love it in a sandwich.
If you need another idea, there’s a recipe for Chicken and Kale Casserole down below. It’s from Martha Stewart – and it’s pretty quick to make. The ricotta basically makes the sauce, so it’s not a very complicated recipe.
And while I’m disappointed not to have another melon, I’m totally delighted to have corn. We ran bartaco’s grilled Mexican street corn recipe in the AJC earlier this month and it’s delicious. I don’t know where that recipe had been all my life. I’ve appended it down below. So that’s what I’m making with these half dozen ears. Next time corn arrives, it will be time for a raw corn salad, with diced tomatoes and onions, dressed with olive oil and lime juice. I could live on that. But maybe, given all the cucumbers this week, you want to try this Cucumber Corn Soup. Totally delicious, totally raw and the only thing you’ll need to acquire is an avocado. (And dill if you don’t have any in your garden.) One of these days, our warming climate may mean the Swancys start raising avocados up in Ranger.
Chicken and Kale Casserole
Coarse salt and ground pepper
3/4 pound large pasta shells
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, diced medium
3 garlic cloves, minced
Kale, tough stems and ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
2 cups shredded or chopped cooked chicken (maybe from 1/2 rotisserie chicken)
1 container (48 ounces) part-skim ricotta
3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
3/4 cup Parmesan, grated (2 1/4 ounces)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain; return to pot. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is beginning to soften, 4 minutes. Add kale, cover, and cook until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to pot with pasta.
Stir in chicken, ricotta, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan. Bake until top is golden, 30 minutes.
Bartaco’s Street Corn
6 ears yellow corn
1/2 cup grated cotija
Elote Mayo (see recipe)
Cayenne to taste
Lime wedges, for garnish
Remove husks and silk from corn. Trim ends if needed.
Heat grill to medium-high. Cook corn, rotating regularly, until lightly charred on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from grill and break each ear in half.
Put cojita on a plate. Brush warm corn with Elote Mayo, dividing evenly between 12 half ears, and roll each piece in cojita. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne and serve garnished with a lime wedge. Serves: 6
Elote Mayo
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoons ancho powder
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, ancho powder, salt and cayenne. Taste for seasoning. May be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated until needed. Makes: 1/2 cup