Dear friends,
The first corn of the season crashed smack-dab into a green bean glut at my house last week, leading to an overflowing refrigerator.
I picked up some bi-colored milk and honey corn at Graf Growers in Copley on Monday, then hightailed it to Seiberling Farm in Norton on Wednesday for its season opening. There’s no such thing as too much corn.
Meanwhile, I had been struggling to keep up with the 15 green bean bushes Tony planted in May, which are so heavy with bean pods they lounge spread-eagled on the watermelon vines.
My solution was to eat corn with almost every meal, roast some green beans with garlic and lemon, parboil and freeze a few quarts of beans, and then bring both beans and corn together in a knockout composed salad.
The big platter of shrimp salad with green beans and corn was summer on a plate. I scattered three ears’ worth of corn kernels (so tender I didn’t need to cook them) over torn romaine and arranged the shrimp and cooked green beans over the lettuce. Then I added sliced radishes, sliced avocado, tomato chunks and hard-cooked eggs and drizzled it with an addictive tarragon dressing.
To deepen the flavor, I tossed the green beans and corn with some of the dressing before arranging on the salad.
A big composed salad like this takes time to make because each element must be cooked/chopped/peeled/sliced in advance. I prepared each ingredient (boiled the eggs, peeled the shrimp, etc.) when I had time throughout the day, so it came together quickly when we were ready to eat. You could even start a day in advance. It looks glorious and tastes pretty good, too.
TARRAGON VINAIGRETTE
1 tbsp. minced shallot or onion
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. (packed) minced fresh tarragon leaves or 1 tsp. dried
Sea salt to taste
Combine all ingredients in a custard cup and let stand at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, before using.
SHRIMP, CORN AND GREEN BEAN SALAD
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and boiled until al dente
3 ears of corn
Salt, pepper
6 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves (1 big head)
4 eggs, cooked for 7 minutes, cooled and peeled, cut in halves
1 avocado, peeled and cut into slices
3 radishes, sliced thin
Tomato chunks or cherry tomatoes for garnish
Cook the shrimp briefly in boiling water, just until the meat is no longer translucent (one minute more or less, depending on size of shrimp). Shock with cold water until shrimp are room temperature. Peel and refrigerate.
Drain the green beans and toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed. Cut the kernels from the cobs and toss with 1 tablespoon of the dressing. Season with salt and refrigerate until needed.
When ready to serve, arrange the torn romaine on a platter. Season with salt and pepper. Scatter corn over lettuce. Pile the shrimp in the center. Arrange green beans, eggs and avocado in a pleasing pattern over the lettuce. Scatter radish slices over all. Garnish with tomato chunks. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Makes 4 servings.
TIDBIT
I didn’t mean to leave you hanging with my story about meeting and dining with Paul Prudhomme in New Orleans. At least a dozen of you, with varying degrees of urgency, wanted to know the question that got me kicked out of his restaurant.
First, I didn’t get kicked out. His icy demeanor told me the interview was over. I left on my own after trying a couple of more times to get an answer. I don’t give up easily.
So here’s the story: Prudhomme was one of the first celebrity chefs. He began to spend considerable time away from his restaurant, flying across the country for interviews and television appearances. I asked the question food critics had been whispering about for awhile: didn’t his absence affect the quality of the food at his restaurant?
That’s it. It was a big deal back then, not so much now when we don’t expect a celebrity chef to be in the kitchen every time we visit. Still, we always kind of hope, right?
GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Avocado toast topped with scrambled egg; protein ice pops; blanched green beans for freezing; BLTs on toast; tofu and green bean stir fry with sticky chile sauce over rice; black raspberry tart; peach galette; poached chicken; cantaloupe and prosciutto; french toast; mojo-marinated grilled chicken, sliced tomatoes with pesto; roast green beans with lemon zest and garlic; microwaved corn on the cob (several times); shrimp, corn and green bean salad with tarragon vinaigrette; egg, tomato, feta and salsa on toast.
What I ate from restaurants, etc:
Chicken Cobb salad from Giant Eagle; a chili-cheese dog and fries from the Hot Dog Shoppe in East Liverpool; a vanilla cone from Dairy Queen.
THE MAILBAG
From Annie:
Time for a column on string beans. You know — green ones, and yellow and purple ones for that matter. They are coming out my ears and I am running out of ways to serve them. Plain steamed with butter, sautéed with bacon like my mom did them, with seasoned crumbs ala Cook’s Illustrated. I did try a new one from “The New Vegetarian Grill” with soy and sesame oil, not pretty but delish. The family is not one for bean salad, so what can I do next besides pickling them?
Dear Annie:
After you try the shrimp, corn and green bean salad above, gather a bunch of the raw beans and roast them. Roasting shrinks and sweetens green beans. They are delicious. Wash, dry, trim and spread on a couple of foil-lined baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, dot with slivers of garlic and mix with your hands. Season with chunky sea salt and roast at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Toss, then continue roasting for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. You could season them in myriad ways before roasting. I like to add a tablespoon of grated lemon zest before roasting.
Last summer I made a ham and green bean soup that earned a spot in the rotation. After simmering (with cubed potatoes), I ladled it into bowls and stirred a spoonful of pesto into each portion. Just like that, the soup went from homespun Amish to perfumed Provencal.
I’m also feeding a lot of cooked green beans to the dog. Try it. Your dog could be the answer to your string-bean problem.