Sautéed corn and cheddar salad over arugula

by Sarah Steimer

OK – I’ll admit it, these were supposed to be corn fritters — I even saved the photos of this dish under the name “cornflop.” But this was one of those rare and wonderful moments when the recipe still held up, even if its shape did not. If you can keep it in a fritter form, then good for you! But I urge you to try this recipe no matter what. The smoky corn, cheddar and arugula flavors are like a perfect Midwest summer salad.

• 3 ears of corn, enough to yield  1 1/2 cups
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 scallions, including 1 inch of the greens, finely sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped flat parsley
• 1 tablespoons shredded basil
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper
• butter or oil
• 2 handfuls arugula

Slice the kernels off the corn. Mix the corn with the eggs, scallions, herbs, cheese and as much flour as can easily be absorbed. Season with salt and pepper.

Melt enough butter or heat enough oil to cover a medium skillet generously. Divide the batter roughly into fourths and drop into the skillet. Fry over medium heat until golden, about 2 minutes, then turn and brown on the other side. <– this part did not work for me. At all. I tried to flip and ended up with corn piles. So I just sautéed everything until browned! I promise the flavors are worth the semi-failure.

Place the fritters on top of the arugula leaves and serve immediately.

Serves 2-4.

Recipe adapted from: Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

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