Grilled Corn On The Cob

Dinner tonight was sauteed collard greens, grilled corn on the cob, and fried plantain. The plantain was a little dry and floury so I made a quick vinaigrette from canola oil, honey, salt and a Sparrow Lane walnut champagne vinegar and let the plantain soak in it for a few minutes. My two year old thought it was potato. He ate it, so I didn't bother correcting him. It's a little unusual for me to make dinner without an obvious protein like beans or meat, but I had nearly 30 ears of sweet corn and 8 bunches of greens from the farm this week. No one seemed to miss the beans and meat. As a matter of fact, it was my two year old who sat...no, was standing in his chair eating his first ear of corn as fast as possible. He helped himself to a second, and then a third.

It's not complicated. All I do is light the gas grill & let it get nice and hot. I put the corn on the grill with the silks and husks completely intact. Do not shuck the corn before cooking, and do not wrap in foil or anything else. There is moisture in the husks and silks that help the corn to cook in the dry heat of a grill, while also imparting amazing flavor from the smoky husks.

Replace the cover of the grill and let them cook for about 10-15 minutes. When one side is black, turn the corn & let it get black on the other side. When you remove the corn from the grill you can shuck it right away if you have tough hands, but it will be quite hot so take care. Let it rest if you would rather not risk burning your hands. The husks & silks should peel away easily. Serve salted & buttered, or without anything.

No Cheese Pizza

Why would I make pizza without cheese, you ask? Well, because it is so amazingly tasty. And also, no matter how you slice it, cheese is just not on a low saturated fat diet. That does not mean we don't eat it sometimes, but how about a pizza that is so delicious without cheese that you don't even miss it? And there are loads of people who can't or don't eat cheese for various reasons, so I figured it was worth writing about.

Let's start with the crust...

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tsp granulated yeast

1 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

2 Tbs olive oil

1 cup room temperature water

Put all ingredients in a bread machine and put on dough setting. Or, mix all ingredients and knead gently. Let rise two or three times (kneading between rises).

Set oven to 400 degrees F and place pizza stone in the oven. Once the dough has had a chance to proof two or three times, roll out on a board to the size of your pizza stone (or toss in the air if you want to make the kids laugh). Place the dough on the hot stone and brush with some olive oil. Return the dough to the oven for about 15 minutes or until the dough has risen and is dry to the touch. Bake longer if you want a crispier crust.

The Toppings...

To save time, most of these can be made ahead and refrigerated

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Fresh marinara (see below)

2 onions, sliced & sauteed in oil until caramelized with a splash of white balsamic vinegar

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sauteed in oil & red wine.

Olives (optional)

Fresh spinach, chopped

Avocado, sliced

Marinated heirloom tomato slices (see below)

To make the marinara, saute 2-3 garlic cloves in oil and before they brown, add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs De Provence, 2 bay leaves, salt, olive oil & red wine. The quantities don't really matter that much, just don't make it too watery. Taste it to make sure it has the right balance. You can add a little honey, basil or balsamic vinegar if you like it sweeter. Simmer, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. This can be made ahead of time & refrigerated. Extras can be frozen in small containers for the next time you make pizza, or used as the base for a pasta sauce.

To marinate the tomatoes, use thick slices of white, orange, yellow or pink heirloom tomatoes. Place in a bowl with salt, olive oil, white balsamic vinegar and herbs De Provence. Let soak overnight. Place the tomatoes in a colander before assembling on the pizza. You can save the juice for a salad dressing or sauce.

Assemble the pizza with the toppings in the order they are listed. Bake at 400 degrees until the spinach is wilted and the crust begins to brown on the edges. You are going to love this.