It’s so hot I bought a loaf of bread at the store and by the time I got home, it was toast. It’s so hot chickens are laying hard-boiled eggs. Oh, just one more. It’s so hot I saw a squirrel picking up nuts with a potholder.
Sorry about those, but it is hot as a biscuit out there. So, if it’s too hot to cook, get out of the kitchen. Or do what I do and cook in the morning when it isn’t so hot. I suppose if one has air conditioning this whole column won’t matter to you. But as I said last week, all I have is a fan and a window, so I need to plan ahead.
Today I decided to make Mexican Street Corn Salad. This is kind of a version of a corn salad I call Mexi-mix salad that I talked about a few years ago. It’s a great way to use up leftover corn. (And a good reason, when having fresh native corn on the cob, to buy and cook a few extra ears.) This version takes the ingredients from Mexican Street corn and deconstructs it into a salad — very good for make-ahead.
If you have leftover cooked corn you can toss it on the grill for a couple of minutes to give it a smokey flavor. Otherwise, blanch three to four ears of freshly-shucked corn for a couple minutes in boiling water, then finish for a few minutes on the grill. Then, remove the kernels from the cob, put it in a bowl and stir in a dressing made of a tablespoon or so of a neutral oil (I like avocado oil) and fresh-squeezed lime juice to taste, and a minced or mashed garlic clove. Add a handful of chopped scallions, a minced jalapeño, a diced red bell pepper. Salt and pepper, a pinch or two of chili powder. Optional ingredients might be a diced avocado and or some sliced cherry or grape tomatoes. Salt and pepper. Mix it all together then garnish with plenty of chopped cilantro and some crumbled Cojita cheese. To finish, drizzle with some sour cream mixed with a few dashes of Mexican hot sauce or a teaspoon of finely minced chipotle in adobo sauce that comes in a can.
There. Now that’s done, it’s so hot that I think I’ll go for a swim, or fry an egg on a sidewalk, or go to a movie …
—LUCY
Thanks for the “It’s so hot …” jokes. They brought back memories of Johnny Carson doing them on the golden age of “The Tonight Show.”
We always cook more fresh corn then we need for that night’s dinner because there are so many good things to do with the leftover corn kernels after you scrape them off the cob.
And to finish your nostalgic hot jokes theme here’s a cold one from “The Tonight Show”:
Ed: How cold is it?
Johnny: It’s so cold I saw a chicken with a capon.
Lou: How cool is that?
—LOU