Corny Salad

Some foods are perfectly matched to their seasons. Lamb shanks in the fall, beans and sausage in the winter, pasta with young greens in the spring.

So when I saw this recipe for a corn and tomato salad in Mark Bittman's Minimalist column in a recent New York Times, I knew it was going to appear at dinner soon. Then a friend gave us several ears of her sweet homegrown corn and it was clear the time had come.

Easy, tasty, and totally company dinner-worthy, it's a perfect side dish or, with a loaf of crusty bread, it could be a meal all by itself. You can watch a video of Bitty making it here.

Pan-Roasted Corn and Tomato Salad
From Mark Bittman, the New York Times Minimalist column

1/4 lb. bacon, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
4 to 6 ears corn, stripped of their kernels (2 to 3 cups)
Juice of 1 lime, or more to taste
2 c. cored and chopped tomatoes
1 med. ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
2 fresh small chilies, like Thai, seeded and minced (I used poblano)
Salt and black pepper
1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to render fat; add onion and cook until just softened, about 5 minutes, then add corn. Continue cooking, stirring or shaking pan occasionally, until corn begins to brown a bit, about 5 more minutes; remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Drain fat if you wish.

Put lime juice in a large bowl and add bacon-corn mixture; then toss with remaining ingredients. Taste, adjust the seasoning and serve warm or at room temperature.