Back in June, we had company coming. Friends I’d made online, but had yet to meet in person.
So, of course, I decided I wanted to make several thing I’d never made before, like a corn salad. I browsed through dozens of recipes but couldn’t find one I liked. I ended up making my own recipes.
Turns out, that was a tasty decision!
Corn Salad
INGREDIENTS
2 large ears fresh corn
4 strips bacon
1/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1/4 cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing
salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Cook bacon 15-20 minutes until crisp and browned. Remove from oven and transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain grease. When cool enough to touch, dab away grease and crumble into small pieces. Reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease from the pan.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Shuck corn and remove silk strands. Add corn to boiling water. Cover and cook about five minutes. Remove from heat, drain hot water, and immerse in cold water to stop cooking process.
Pat cobs dry and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. (I’ve found it’s easiest to hold cobs at an angle to remove kernels. My mom had one of those handy-dandy tools you set over the top of a cob on a cutting board, pushed it down, and it removed all the kernels lickety-split.)
Place corn kernels and bacon in a mixing or serving bowl. Drizzle with the bacon grease (just trust me on this!). Add Parmesan cheese, parsley, and salad dressing. Season with salt. Stir to combine ingredients, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. It gives the flavors time to blend. When ready to serve, sprinkle more Parmesan cheese and parsley on top of the bowl (optional).
NOTES: If you are in a hurry, you can use frozen corn instead of fresh, and substitute bacon bits for just-cooked bacon. You can also use dried parsley instead of fresh. If you can’t find Olive Garden Italian Dressing, make your own with this copycat recipe.
Yield: Approximately 4 servings
