Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

I feel like I'm playing catch up again. I'm still working on that burger story I mentioned in my last post. I thought I was done, but we added three more burgers to the already bulging list. I don't mind much. Sure I'm a bit tired of cheeseburgers (especially the mediocre ones,) but I've gotten to try so many restaurants I might not have visited otherwise. In fact, two of my next few burgers come from restaurants I've never eaten at, rather expensive restaurants that I normally couldn't hope to afford. And I think I'm getting my burger appetite back. I ate some delightful little lamb sliders at the Rail last week. Tiny and juicy on adorable little pretzel rolls, the lamb patties were topped with a tangy chimichurri and caramelized onions.

But about this little salad, I made it weeks ago. While I was still deep in burger overload, when just the thought of ground beef sent an unpleasant rumble through my being. It's a lovely side dish, but a larger serving with a hunk of crusty bread would certainly make a satisfying meal.

There isn't much corn left at the market but if you can find some good stuff, this is a quick and super satisfying salad. Colorful and fresh, full of texture. The recipe is slightly adapted from this one at Serious Eats. I added some gorgeous watermelon radishes for color and a bit of extra crunch. Gosh, they're pretty, innards blooming with fuchsia streaks (after they're peeled and chopped of course, before, not so much.) And pretty peppery too, they have a bite. I upped the corn ratio since I had an extra ear, microwaving them around 7 minutes in the husk until they were crisp tender. I skipped the edamame because I didn't have any (well, mostly I forgot to buy any at the store, oops) and added ground coriander and fresh thyme for an extra boost of spice.

The vinaigrette is tangy with lime, just sweet enough with the honey and lightly spiced with cumin, thyme and coriander. You could even add a bit of chipotle for more of a kick. The only problem I had was that the longer the salad sits, the wetter it gets. I'm still not sure if it was the corn weeping or if I added too much dressing initially. So I recommend being conservative with the vinaigrette, add half to the veggies, then a little at a time to get the right consistency. You can always add more later. I waited until right before serving to add the radishes, as they can lose their crunch and tend to get a little odoriferous once they've been sliced (store them in cold water to keep them crisp if you slice them more than a few hours before serving.)

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Fresh Corn and Chickpea Salad

by Aubrey Dunnuck October-17-2011

This fresh and colorful corn salad is full of bright flavors and textures. Sweet corn pairs beautifully with creamy chickpeas and crisp peppers and radishes, held together with a tangy honey-lime vinaigrette. Adapted from Serious Eats.

Ingredients

3 Ears Cooked Corn 1 can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 Red or Orange Bell Peppers, diced 1 clove Garlic, minced 1 Watermelon Radish, diced 1/3 cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil 2 tablespoons Honey 1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt 1/4 teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme  1/2 teaspoon Cumin 1/2 teaspoon Coriander 1 small bunch Cilantro or Parsley

Instructions

Slice corn kernels from the cob. I like this method using a bundt pan to steady the ear and catch the kernels. In a medium bowl, toss corn with bell peppers and chickpeas. Add the radishes if serving right away or cover and refrigerate until ready. Vigorously whisk lime juice, garlic, olive oil, honey, and spices to make the vinaigrette. Pluck the thyme leaves and add them to the vinaigrette (quickly dice the leaves for more intense flavor.) Add half of the vinaigrette to the corn mixture and stir. Taste and drizzle in more vinaigrette if necessary. Tear off or chop the leaves of cilantro or parsley and mix into the salad. Add the radishes, if you haven't already, and serve.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 25 mins Yield: 4-6 servings