Where I grew up in northern Illinois, there was a fabulous farm stand nearby at a busy intersection. My memory of it is that it always seemed to be on the verge of falling to pieces and I was always surprised when it reopened, having somehow made it through another punishing Midwestern winter. I remember getting huge watermelons there, and gallon jugs of apple cider in the autumn, but mostly my family bought all our sweet corn there in the summer. No barbecue or big family get-together was complete without someone getting sent outside to shuck all the ears of corn, piling the husks and corn silk into paper grocery bags at your feet.
Corn on the cob doesn’t feature much in Ireland. It’s actually kind of hard to find, and if you do, it tends to come in pairs, wrapped in cling film on a Styrofoam tray like you often see with exotic fruit. So when my organic fruit and veg supplier* started carrying it a few weeks ago, I bought some purely out of nostalgia, just so I could shuck a couple ears of it again. I guess you can take the girl out of the Midwest, but you can’t take the Midwest out of the girl.
*Don’t forget, it’s National Organic Week in Ireland. Click here for a listing of events throughout the country.
Grilled Lemon Chicken
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten
Serves 4
1/2 cup (120 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 or 3 large lemons)
1/2 cup (120 ml) good-quality olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Pour over the chicken breasts in a nonreactive bowl. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
Heat a charcoal grill or griddle pan. Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Grill the chicken breasts for 10 minutes on each side, until just cooked through. Cool slightly and cut diagonally in 1/2‑inch-thick slices.
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Summer Corn Salad
adapted from Allrecipes.com
Serves 4
6 ears corn, husked and cleaned
1/2 red onion, diced
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 oz (60 g) feta, crumbled (optional)
1/4 cup (10 g) chopped fresh basil (or parsley)
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the corn in boiling water for 7 to 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness. Drain, cool, and cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife.
Deflame the onion by placing the chopped pieces into a strainer, rinsing under cold water, and shaking off the excess.
In a large bowl, toss together the corn, onion, tomatoes, feta, basil, oil and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chill until ready to serve.