Summertime (and the Cooking is Easy)
By Cheryl Forberg, RD
I always say the quality of a great recipe is a function of the ingredients you use. Buy the best ingredients you can afford. And in the middle of summer, it’s not too hard to find primo ingredients like really sweet corn (and onions) as well as tasty Hatch peppers. Just about all produce is at its peak right now, which I think, makes summer cooking so much easier.
When every ingredient is bursting with flavor, there’s no need to complicate simple summer cooking with long simmering times or a boatload of spices or seasonings. Fresh flavor is king. Keep it simple.
I try to cook every meal I can on the outdoor grill during this time of year. Not only does it keep the temperature down inside the house, but the smoke and sizzling heat of the grill impart an added layer of flavor and amazing crunchy exteriors to just about anything you cook.
Today’s recipe is a quick sauté of fresh sweet corn, onions, and Hatch peppers. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a simple barbecue of chicken or fish that will leave you with plenty of time to relax while the rest of your meal is cooking on the grill. In fact, you can even kick this recipe up a notch if you like by roasting the corn on the grill, before removing the kernels from the cob (which of course cuts down the cooking time on the stove).
Sweet Corn Sauté with Hatch Peppers and Onions
This dish is so tasty and really easy to make. I love that it’s a large recipe because I can never get enough of it.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Hatch onion, peeled and diced
8 ears fresh Melissa’s Sweet Corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 cup Hatch peppers; diced, roasted, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish: Chopped cilantro and lime wedges
Instructions:
Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in large sauté pan.
Add diced onion and sauté until soft but not browned.
Add corn. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes longer or until tender. If using roasted corn, just heat it through for a minute or two.
Add diced Hatch peppers and sauté for a minute longer or until heated through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
For a heartier version or a stand-alone meal:
Add diced carnitas, shredded pork, or smoked beef when you add the diced Hatch peppers and heat thoroughly.
I always say the quality of a great recipe is a function of the ingredients you use. Buy the best ingredients you can afford. And in the middle of summer, it’s not too hard to find primo ingredients like really sweet corn (and onions) as well as tasty Hatch peppers. Just about all produce is at its peak right now, which I think, makes summer cooking so much easier.
When every ingredient is bursting with flavor, there’s no need to complicate simple summer cooking with long simmering times or a boatload of spices or seasonings. Fresh flavor is king. Keep it simple.
I try to cook every meal I can on the outdoor grill during this time of year. Not only does it keep the temperature down inside the house, but the smoke and sizzling heat of the grill impart an added layer of flavor and amazing crunchy exteriors to just about anything you cook.
Today’s recipe is a quick sauté of fresh sweet corn, onions, and Hatch peppers. It’s the perfect accompaniment to a simple barbecue of chicken or fish that will leave you with plenty of time to relax while the rest of your meal is cooking on the grill. In fact, you can even kick this recipe up a notch if you like by roasting the corn on the grill, before removing the kernels from the cob (which of course cuts down the cooking time on the stove).
Sweet Corn Sauté with Hatch Peppers and Onions
This dish is so tasty and really easy to make. I love that it’s a large recipe because I can never get enough of it.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 Hatch onion, peeled and diced
8 ears fresh Melissa’s Sweet Corn, kernels cut from the cob
1 cup Hatch peppers; diced, roasted, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
Garnish: Chopped cilantro and lime wedges
Instructions:
Heat olive oil and butter over medium-high heat in large sauté pan.
Add diced onion and sauté until soft but not browned.
Add corn. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes longer or until tender. If using roasted corn, just heat it through for a minute or two.
Add diced Hatch peppers and sauté for a minute longer or until heated through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
For a heartier version or a stand-alone meal:
Add diced carnitas, shredded pork, or smoked beef when you add the diced Hatch peppers and heat thoroughly.
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