CORN, ARUGULA, AND BACON SALAD

Courtesy of Simply Recipes, this is a simple salad that vaguely reminds me of my favorite summer meal, BLTs and corn on the cob. (Hmm, I bet BLTs made with arugula [BATs?] would be really good.) The sweet corn, salty bacon, and peppery greens, and slightly sour vinaigrette all balance each other perfectly. (I especially loved that the imparted another dimension of flavor, but was barely noticeable; I don’t enjoy strong vinegar flavors.) I’d never heard of boiling corn in the husk before, and I tried it with one eyebrow skeptically raised, but now I’m a convert—I really could taste the difference in flavor, and as a bonus the corn was much easier to shuck.

I served this salad with quesadillas for an easy Sunday night supper, the perfect end to a brutally hot weekend. (This is my new, amazingly delicious technique for making quesadillas—I used to just toast them in the oven, but when my oven broke last month, I tried this and was blown away—they are so crisp and tasty, perhaps even better than grilled cheese sandwiches!) While the salad is best immediately after you add the dressing, I ate the leftover servings a few days later and although the arugula was wilted, everything still tasted dandy.

4 large ears of corn
2 cups chopped arugula
4 strips bacon, diced and cooked
⅓ cup sliced green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Cook the corn by grilling, steaming, or boiling the ears (cook them in their husks for more flavor). Let cool, remove the husks and silk, and cut the kernels off the cobs.

2. In a large bowl, mix together corn, arugula, bacon, and green onions. In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, cumin, and salt and pepper. Pour dressing onto salad just before serving and toss well.

Serves: 4
Time: 30 minutes