Recipe: Tender corn and fresh tomatoes star in a no-sweat dish
The tomatoes and sweet corn are so good now, it's almost criminal to cook them -- not to mention too hot (usually) to do so. This recipe, adapted slightly from one by the New York Times, puts those stars of midsummer produce to work as the basis for Sunday lunch or midweek dinner.
This is almost a no-recipe recipe. The veggies, including red onion, are sliced thin and layered, then sprinkled with salt, pepper and fresh oregano. (It's versatile, too: Add peaches or arugula to the mix, or sub in scallions for the red onion, for example.)
What binds this dish together? Hot-off-the-grill protein, such as chicken or pork chops or steak or halloumi cheese. Or avoid cooking altogether and top the vegetables with warm pieces of a store-bought rotisserie chicken. The key is the spicy drippings that act as a warm dressing.
When we enjoyed this for dinner, with boneless chicken thighs as the topping, I upped the ante by serving a green salad topped with slices of super-ripe homegrown muskmelon, as fragrant as a perfume counter. Add a slice of artisan sourdough on the side and you have a summer meal to remember.
Tomatoes and corn with grilled 'dressing'
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Garden Checklist for week of April 14
It's still not warm enough to transplant tomatoes directly in the ground, but we’re getting there.
* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.
* Smell orange blossoms? Feed citrus trees with a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants.
* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.
* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.
* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrients. Fertilize shrubs and trees with a slow-release fertilizer. Or mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost.
* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias.
* Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Mid to late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Transplant lettuce seedlings. Choose varieties that mature quickly such as loose leaf.