Charred Corn Salad from ‘Good and Cheap’
Every week, Yahoo Food spotlights a cookbook that stands out from all the rest. This week’s cookbook is Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown. Read more about Yahoo Food Cookbook of the Week here.
Photograph by Leanne Brown and Dan Lazin
Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week is Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown
Charred Corn Salad
Serves 2, or 4 as a side
One of the early supporters of this book, Gina, can’t eat gluten and wanted more Mexican-inspired options. I designed this spicy summer salad for her, topped with popcorn for the kind of crunch that croutons would provide. Use smaller zucchini, and save the big ones for Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. If you own a grill, use it instead of the broiler!
3 small or 2 medium zucchini
2 ears corn
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 ounces crumbled cotija or feta cheese
1 cup popped Popcorn
Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon chili powder, plus more for dusting
Salt and pepper, to taste
Turn your oven’s broiler to high.
Chop off both ends of the zucchini, then slice each into four long sticks. Shuck the corn. Lay the zucchini and corn on a baking sheet, then rub them with the oil, making sure they’re well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Broil the zucchini and corn for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on how powerful your broiler is. The zucchini should start to blacken in some spots. This is good! Turn the corn over as needed (but not the zucchini!) to make sure it cooks evenly. Broil until the vegetables are lightly charred, another 2 to 5 minutes. Let them cool.
To make the dressing, mix the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Taste it and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Chop the zucchini into bite-size pieces and slice the corn kernels from the cobs.
Transfer the vegetables into the bowl with the dressing. Add the crumbled cotija or feta and mix well. Sprinkle the popcorn over the top, then dust with a little extra chili powder, salt, and pepper.
Note: To cut the kernels off a cob of corn, hold the cob by the stem, vertically, inside a large bowl. Rest the other end of the corn on the bottom of the bowl. Using a sharp knife, slice the kernels off the cob as far down as you can go until your wrist hits the lip of the bowl. Slice all the way around the cob. Flip the cob over vertically and slice off the kernels that you missed closer to the pointy end.
Reprinted with permission from Good and Cheap: Eat Well on $4/Day by Leanne Brown (Workman).
More recipes to enjoy summer corn:
Ali Larter’s Corn Chowder Recipe
