Grilled corn salad with roasted red pepper

We don’t have local corn yet but the corn I found in one of the produce markets is very good, so I have been buying and serving it in various ways in the last few weeks. This salad was inspired by an image I saw in Bon Appetit a few weeks ago of a grilled corn salad made with half of the corn roasted, the other half raw. I made up my own recipe but used the idea of roasting half the corn, and the other half I cooked briefly in the microwave (one of my favourite methods for cooking corn). I didn’t make a separate dressing and instead drizzled and sprinkled the dressing ingredients over the cooked corn. You can taste it as you go and adjust the seasoning.

My recipe calls for roasted red pepper and I suggest that you roast it yourself. Roasted pepper from a jar is mushy and will not have the texture of freshly roasted pepper. I cut the pepper into the natural segments and put it on the grill after I grilled the corn (or grill them at the same time). I steamed a bunch of broccolini and added that to the salad for a touch of green.

Nothing says summer like corn and I am looking forward to our gorgeous local cobs that we buy freshly picked early morning and still cool from the night’s air. We are very lucky in the Okanagan to live amongst farmlands, orchards and vineyards and in season have everything local and as fresh as can be.

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This recipe is a larger one, you can make it smaller by cutting down the number of cobs you use.

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Ingredients:

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8 cobs of corn, husks removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
Salt

2 red peppers, cut into segments
1 bunch broccolini, chopped
1/4 small red onion, sliced
1/2 small jalapeňo if you like some heat

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder (or more)
Juice of 1/2 a lime (or more)
1 teaspoon coarse salt (or more)
A few twists of freshly ground pepper

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Directions:

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Brush 4 of the cobs of corn with oil and sprinkle with ancho chile powder and salt.

Grill for about 10 minutes turning as necessary until all side are charred but do not over burn.

Place 4 remaining cobs in a microwave proof dish, add 1/3 cup water, cover with paper towel and microwave for 10 minutes.

When all the corn is cooked and cooled enough to handle stand it vertically in a wide bowl and with a sharp knife scrape the kernels off the corn. There are online videos showing how to do it if you need to see it.

To roast the pepper separate the pepper into segments along the natural segment lines and remove seeds and white pith. Place skin side down on the grill (high setting) and cook until the skin is blackened and blistered.

Let the pepper cool, then peel off the blackened skin and cut the flesh into pieces. Add the pepper to the corn in the bowl.

Bring water to a boil in a skillet, add the chopped broccolini and cook until it is bright green and cooked but still retain a crisp texture. Add to the corn in the bowl.

Add the sliced onion and jalapeňo if using and mix everything together.

Add the oil, lime juice, ancho chile powder, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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