Wednesday, August 4, 2010

PW's Katie's Roasted Corn Salad

(Sorry for the blurriness, I was in a hurry.)
 Tis the season of endless vegetables and lots of grilling.  So why not combine the two?  The Pioneer Woman has a wonderful cookbook out full of yummy recipes, beautiful pictures, and lots of stories.  On of her recipes is for a Roasted Corn Salad.  Soooooo GOOD!

Makes 6 cups (but I ended up with closer to 10!)
Ingredients:
Vegetables:
Olive Oil
8 fresh corn ears
1 red onion, quartered
2 yellow squash, halved lengthwise
1 red bell pepper
2 medium tomatoes
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
12 basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
1 tsp kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, chopped


Instructions:
  1. Preheat outdoor grill, or grill pan.  Drizzle grill with olive oil.  Place the corn on the grill and liberally drizzle with olive oil.
  2. Grill for 5-8 minutes, until the corn is beginning to brown.
  3. Drizzle the onion with olive oil and grill just until it starts to become tender.  Do not overcook, as you'll want the onion to remain somewhat firm.
  4. Repeat with halved summer squash and red bell pepper.  Allow vegetables to cool slightly after grilling.
  5. Roughly chop the onion, squash, and pepper.  With a sharp knife, scrape the corn kernels from the cob.  Dice the tomatoes and add them to the mix.
  6. To make the dressing, in a separate bowl, pour the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and whisk together until combined.
  7. Finally, add the basil, salt, and garlic and whisk together.
  8. Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and pour the dressing over the top.  Stir to combine.
  9. Serve as salad, with tortilla chips or crackers, or spoon on top of grilled chicken.

Variations:
  • I pam-ed the outdoor grill instead of drizzling with OO.
  • For the dressing, I used 1/3 cup OO instead of 1/2 cup (slightly healthier, right?)
  • I prepared the salad the night before.  Kept the dressing separate, but excluded the basil until right before serving.