Thursday, June 26, 2014

Grilled Corn with Cilantro Butter



         Dear Summer 2014,

                           Welcome! Thanks for making your appearance quick and steamy. After the winter we had, I am so glad you are here. I hope you continue to bring the warmth, sunshine and plenty of days where a BBQ is all we’ll want to do. Make yourself at home and please stay a while. We truly do love you around here!

                                                                                                                       Love, 

                                                                                                                              A devoted fan

            So it has arrived, huh? Good ol’ summer! Crazy how time flies. The thought of Fourth of July in just two weeks is absurd to me! Well, with that being said, I think it is only fitting that I bring to you a great recipe you can enjoy during a BBQ gathering or just a quick al fresco dinner at home.

            To me, corn is synonymous with summer. I sadly eat the canned or frozen varietals during the other 9 months of the year and get quite excited when the first stacks of ready-to-be-husked ears appear at the market. Nothing beats a good, buttered and salted fresh piece of corn on the cob. Well, maybe a soft-serve vanilla sundae with chocolate sprinkles does, but that’s a different course so it doesn’t count!  Anyway, yes good and fresh corn- simply summer and scrumptious to me.

            But somehow I made it even better…….grilled and smothered with butter and fresh tangy cilantro. Then, once the butter has charred into it, a decent sprinkle of sharp Parmesan and some salt and pepper…….oh how you will thank me. So with that, you’re welcome in advance, and I wish you happy and tasty BBQing this season! Enjoy…

 



Grilled Corn with Cilantro Butter
Serves: 3-4
OBJ: TCW be able to put a twist on a summer favorite
 
Ingredients:
4 ears of corn, husked
3 TBS unsalted butter, melted
2-3 TBS fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
S& P: salt and pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional
 
Procedures:
1. Soak corn in cool water for about 30 minutes
2. Preheat grill over medium-low flame
3. Mix melted butter with cilantro
4. Drain and dry off corn, brush liberally with butter mixture
5. Grill, turning every 2-3 minutes, for a total of 10-15 minutes (or until you get decent char)
6. Before taking off grill, brush one more time with butter mixture and cook for additional 1 minute
7. Remove from grill and sprinkle with S, P, and grated cheese
8. Enjoy!
 

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

First Time Foodie Adventure.....



First Time Foodie Adventure:

Whole Foods

            Whole Foods, a recent phenomenon in my book. Or more precisely, a place where people go to get wholesome and fresh food items, from seafood to saltines. I think everything there is organic and lists most ingredients on the label that you can actually read. This all sounds well and dandy, I know. But for me, I have actually always been on the fence with this place. First of all, I have heard and all-too-quickly agreed that it wasn’t Whole Foods, but rather Whole Paycheck. And for two, I have always been in the mindset of the best way to be healthy is to cook at home and control your own quantity and ingredients, none of this ‘where was it grown’,’ what was it sprayed with’, and ‘can I pronounce its components’ stuff.

            Now don’t get me wrong, I think all those fundamentals and practices are great and kudos to you if you can abide by them 24/7. For me, I know I can’t and have therefore, become very accustomed to La Shoprite. Ha

            Well, I must take back some opinions, my friends. A Whole Foods Market has just opened in our neighborhood and I recently took my first trip…..

            Simply beautiful. The colors, the displays, even the organization was eye-catching. I loved every nook and cranny, from the cheese counter to the brick oven pizza station. The place wasn’t as expansive as I thought it was going to be, yet it had the perfect amount and offerings of everything one might need.  I would actually venture to say that having such limited supply of items made for easy shopping (read: quicker shopping). I tried to stop and examine each aisle but as I usually am, I was hungry and we had to get something for dinner.
            We decided to get 2 pre-portioned fresh fillets of Sea Bass, a pound of bread & asparagus salad, and ready to heat empanadas. The latter for appetizers, because life is too short to not have them.

            The bill didn’t faze me at all, in fact I think it was pretty close to what we would spend elsewhere. I mean, if you do all your shopping there, from yogurt to romaine lettuce, you will spend more. But if you are looking for a few quality items and know what you want, the price tag won’t cause any flinches.

            The end result was quite yummy. My favorite was the bread salad, it had such balance of textures, flavors and spice. The empanadas were quite delightful too, as we heated them to a crisp and dunked them in the accompanied tangy glaze.
            So it is a true fact that I will be back. In fact, I hope it is true that I do so very soon. I saw one too many yummies that I need to try. Not to mention, I just want more time to peruse their collections and selections. And fortunately, as I have learned, I won’t be breaking the bank by doing so either. My pennies and dollars will be put to good use indeed, which is more than I can say after most shopping trips. Win!

 

Whole Foods Market is located at 113 Route 9 South, Marlboro, NJ 07726. Check out their Website, Facebook page, and Twitter.