Corn salad

I work from home. During the week, I got hungry for lunch, opened the fridge, assessed its nearly empty contents, and decided to walk to a nearby restaurant. Arriving after the lunch rush, I waited to be seated. I watched patiently as the two servers on staff walked back and forth across the restaurant with no hostess in sight. The restaurant operates like restaurant + market. One can dine in, shop for specialty ingredients, or order take out from the deli counter. As I stood waiting for a table, I looked towards the deli counter where three staff members were behind the counter, performing different tasks. One was helping their only customer in line. The other two were putting food away.

A few minutes passed. I looked again to the open dining area, the "please wait to be seated" sign, and the staff members. I waited. Was I waiting in the right area? Yes. I didn't disturb anyone, but as I waited and attempted eye contact, I grew annoyed. Even as I was standing there, I was the waitstaff's responsibility, a separate customer.  I waited a bit longer, then turned around and left. I can ignore myself at home. I won't be going back there anytime soon.

On the walk home, I picked up a baguette, and pulled out the remaining fridge contents. I had a crusty container of goat cheese, and a ziplock of corn and cucumber salad leftovers. On the counter, a sole ripe tomato waited, along with some freshly made za'atar.  Most of my lunches are scrambles like this, but the amazing part is that they end up always tasting good and filling me up. This za'atar recipe is really excellent. The za'atar has been topped on pizza, roasted pumpkin squash, yogurt, and has been added to cream cheese on toast. It is an addiction. This was the start:


A nice lunch:

I've made this corn salad several times over the summer. The sweet creamy corn kernels taste excellent paired with freshly grated parmesan cheese and flaky sea salt. Another time, lemon juice, basil, olive oil, and cucumbers were added. I cook the cobs in the pressure cooker. They cook in 4 minutes, and the pressure release time is only 1-2 additional minutes. The cobs come out of the cooker looking golden and steamy. Cooked to perfection. The best part of the cooker, is that multiple cobs can be cooked at once. Trim them in half if they don't fit.


Option 1: Corn and parmesan salad


Option 2: Corn and cucumber salad with basil

Summer corn salad, two ways
Yield: enough to feed 4 people as a side, or 2 main large portions

Option 1: Corn and parmesan salad 
Ingredients:
2 corn on the cobs, cooked and shucked
olive oil, your finest and generous pour
freshly grated parmesan
Flaked sea salt + freshly ground pepper

Option 2: Corn and cucumber salad with basil
Ingredients:
2 corn on the cobs, cooked and shucked
olive oil, your finest and generous pour
2 tbsp of fresh basil cut in chiffonade or finely sliced
Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 a small lemon
1/2 cup sliced cucumbers, cut in quarters; peel if waxy.
Flaked sea salt + freshly ground pepper

Special tools: large chef's knife, cutting board, pressure cooker (small pan or large pan fine), mixing bowl.

Directions:
Step 1:  Peel the husks off the corn and trim the ends if they extend over the cooker diameter. Place the trivet on the bottom of the pressure cooker and add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the cooker. Place the naked cobs on top and close the lid. Bring the pressure cooker to high pressure and cook 4 minutes. When time is up, use the natural release method to bring the pressure down.

Step 2: Once done cooking, remove the cooked corn to a plate or cutting board to cool off to handle. Shuck the corn and place the corn in a medium mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and serve immediately.