Grilled Peach and Corn Salsa Recipe

I like to use the Reminders app by Apple, which conveniently syncs between my iPhone, my computer and my iPad. It’s very handy. I have fourteen individual lists of reminders, each one packed full of stuff to do. There is even this great function where you can set a reminder to repeat at a specific interval which automatically resets once you’ve completed it. The downside to this function is that it reminds you how long it’s been since you last completed the task. In this case, the last time I checked off the reminder to post on this blog was back in March. Yeah, um, sorry about that.

So … hi, how you doing? Everything good? Did I miss anything?

Here’s what’s new around my studio: we started getting Green Bean Delivery every week, which delivers a variety of produce in these cute little crates once a week, sort of like a CSA. Unlike a CSA though, you don’t have to pay a large up-front fee and then take what they give you. Green bean has a set delivery once a week, which you can then customize to suit your own particular tastes. The fruits and veggies are organic, although not 100% local. They do, however, notate what is local and what is not, so I try to select the things that are local wherever possible. That said, it’s nice to throw in a couple of lemons, limes and avocados which are not really native to the St. Louis area. Is this a lazy man’s way of not shopping for groceries? I like to think of it as a busy man’s way of not shopping for groceries. So there.

We’ve been doing Green Bean Delivery for a month or so now and it has really changed the way that I cook. I’m a big fan of keeping a full pantry of non-perishables (pasta, canned goods etc.) but the problem is that without having fresh ingredients your cooking options are quite limited. With my current work schedule I’ve been finding it tough to make time to go grocery shopping. Now, each week I have a nicely stocked fridge full of fruits and veggies which I can then pair up with my pantry items to make some really fun stuff.

Then of course, you have to factor in the added pressure of wanting to use everything before it goes bad. This has helped me to get creative with what I’m cooking. In this case, I had several peaches from last week’s delivery that were on the verge of expiring, along with some fresh local corn. A quick search in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything App (which I mentioned in my last post) and came up with a framework for my customized Grilled Peach and Corn Salsa Recipe.

I love a good salsa, particularly when you pair it with something savory. Early on in the lift of this blog, I made Chicken Paillard with Clementine Salsa and loved it. Then few weeks ago I had a couple of mangos that I couldn’t decide what to do with, so I made a mango salsa and served it with some grilled shrimp. I had some of the shrimp that I bought to go with the mangos leftover in the freezer so I defrosted them and served it with the peach and corn salsa last night. By the way, having never grilled shrimp before, this is my new favorite week night dinner – it’s so freakin’ easy and delicious. A little pricey perhaps, although Dr. Wife and I got two meals out of $25 worth of shrimp, so it’s not too bad.

Why, you may ask, are there no photographs of the shrimp to go along with the salsa recipe? Because by the time I got around to preparing the shrimp we were on our second bottle of rosé, that’s why. Deal with it.

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Grilled Peach and Corn Salsa Recipe

Ingredients

3-4 ripe peaches, cut in half and pitted
1 large red onion, cut into large fat slices
3-4 tablspoons of olive oil
4-5 ears of fresh sweet corn, shucked and cleaned
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped
1 small jalepeno, chopped fine
2-3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Brush the peaches and onion slices with olive oil and grill over a pre-heated, medium hot grill until soft (between 8-20 minutes depending on how ripe the peaches are). I found that the onions took much less time so they came off the grill first. Meanwhile, place the ears of corn on the grill as well (no need to brush with oil) and grill until some kernels are charred and the corn overall starts to turn golden. Note: if you have very fresh and young sweet corn, it requires almost no cooking – you could almost get away with not grilling it at all if you choose.

Once everything is grilled, cut the peaches into bit sized pieces (try to reserve as much juice as possible) and add to a large bowl. Mince the grilled onions and add to the peaches. Cut the corn off the ears with a knife and add to the bowl along with the ginger, jalepeno, cilantro and green onions. Pour lime juice over the ingredients, then gently mix so as not to crush the delicate peaches. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can either serve it immediately or put it in the fridge. I found that a couple hours in the fridge made the flavors meld a bit better.

Serving suggestion:

Shell and de-vein 16 jumbo shrimp, then place them on two skewers (I prefer metal skewers because I never remember to soak the wooden ones in advance). Mix several tablespoons of olive oil, two teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of hot paprika (or to taste), two cloves of garlic, crushed, a couple large pinches of salt, and some freshly ground pepper in a bowl. Brush the mixture onto the skewered shrimp. Grilled the shrimp over high heat for several minutes until just cooked through, 2-3 minutes per side. Serve the shrimp either on or off the skewers overtop of a bed of the salsa.