farm with a view

My wonderful papa-in-law, the biggest foodie I personally know, forwarded an email to me last week with a huge roundup of zucchini recipes from “Over a Tuscan Stove.” (Currently am having serious problems depleting our summer zuke supply.) That’s how I stumbled upon Summer Fest, where people share their favorite recipes for a specific seasonal ingredient every week. Last week, it was zukes ‘n’ cukes. This week: Corn. Boy, do I heart corn.

So I’m sharing one of my favorite corn dishes, perfect for summer. It’s a brightly colored, hearty salad that can easily be adapted into a vegetarian dish. Or, instead of grilled chicken, toss in some lime-spritzed grilled shrimp. And, of course, fresh corn is a MUST.

(Please excuse the meh pic. I am a wannabe gardener, not photographer)

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SWEET CORN, TOMATO AND BLACK BEAN SALAD

Ingredients

For the salad:
2 cups tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup finely diced red onion
2 ears of fresh sweet corn, boiled for about 5 minutes and shucked
2 ripe avocados, seeded, peeled and rough diced – optional
1/4 cup cilantro – optional
2 chicken breasts, grilled and diced – optional

For the dressing:
1 tsp. lime zest
2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, pressed or microplaned (I just finely dice them)
salt and pepper to season

Directions

Place all the veggies except the cilantro and avocado in a large bowl. Add chicken, if using. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together all the dressing ingredients. Pour over salad and mix well. Adjust seasonings. Just before serving, add the avocado and cilantro, and fold in. Makes about 4 servings.

Note: The above photo shows the salad sans avocado and cilantro – two things Andrew does not like. However, you best believe I add avocado to my portion, right before serving.

The inaugural recipe on Farm with a View? Andrew’s mom’s hamburger soup, of course. It’s chock-full of veggies – great way to get rid of a couple zucchini or squash – and super simple to make.

One day I will post photos. But for now, here’s the recipe.

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HAMBURGER SOUP

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef (We usually use ground turkey)
2 1/2 quarts or 10 cups beef stock (Use chicken stock if you’re using ground turkey)
1 28 oz. can diced and chopped tomatoes, and their liquid
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2-3 ribs of celery, sliced
Chopped garlic (We use a whole bulb)
1/2 cup pearl barley
palmful dried basil
1/2 palmful dried oregano
2 zucchini, sliced
1/4 pound vermicelli, broken
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Sea salt
Olive oil

Directions

In a large skillet, heat up olive oil and brown the ground beef. Drain the beef. Fill a large pot with the stock. Add drained beef, can of tomatoes with their juice, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, barley and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is tender. Add zucchini and vermicelli and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until vermicelli is ready. Adjust seasonings. Ladle into soup bowls, add cheese and a couple grinds of black pepper, and serve.

Makes 4 quarts