For most of my life, I’ve eaten corn one of two ways: from a can or on the cob. (And I’m talking about kernels of corn here, not the corn syrup, corn meal, corn starch, and other corn products that certainly make up most of the “corn” in the average American diet.) In the summer, there was no greater thrill than Dad bringing home a bag full of fresh Colorado sweet corn, and I still look forward to the arrival of corn on the cob every time the season rolls around.

But it’s really only in the last few years that I’ve started appreciating fresh corn as an ingredient, as something more than just a cob of kernels slathered with butter. Fresh corn has flavor and texture that give everything from pizza to fajitas a little something extra.

In this dish, corn is not just an ingredient, it’s the star of the show. With two of my other favorite veggies to support it.

A fresh zucchini, half an onion, and two ears of corn. Plus a little seasoning, and that’s all there is to it. And don’t be scared of the corn on the cob, just slice it off with a nice, sharp knife.

None of these veggies take a long time to cook, but all of them are improved with a little bit of searing. Tossed in a frying pan or cast iron skillet for a few minutes is just enough to do the trick.

The result is a warm, crunchy dish that makes a great side and even a great main course. I like taking the leftovers for lunch, which is a great way to get a whole bunch of vegetable action without having to eat a cold salad.

So quick! Before the last weeks of summer and the last ears of sweet corn disappear to make room for the fall harvest, get thee to a farmers market!

Skillet Corn with Zucchini & Onions

2 ears of corn
1 medium zucchini
1 medium white or yellow onion
1 T oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Shuck the ears of corn and remove as many silks as possible. Use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. Slice the zucchini in half length-wise, then slice into long strips, then chop into small pieces. Dice the onion.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium. Once it’s hot, add the corn, onions, zucchini, black pepper, and seasoned salt to the pan and mix well. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook for about 10 more minutes, turning and stirring occasionally but allowing the mixture to char a bit.

Carefully pour the mixture into a serving bowl. This dish is excellent when served immediately, but it also reheats wonderfully for leftovers.

This is your next meal. Or part of it.

This is super fast. This has SIX ingredients. Four of them are already in your kitchen. If they aren’t, we need to talk about essentials, people.

And these are everywhere!

Zucchini is an amazing vegetable. Here, it’s in season from late April to early November. It plays well in dishes of most cuisines, roasts like a dream, sautés easily, and makes a mean one of these.

But this is my all-time favorite way to feature this versatile squash.

This recipe is one from home. It spells summer nights and open windows and father’s day dinner. I grew up eating this as a side dish, but I find it’s best when I have to share with no one. Crisp and just a bit salty on the outside, warm and smooth on the inside, these little guys are completely irresistible. If you’re  actually intending to serve them to other people, I suggest making a few extra slices… it’s fairly normal that half of them disappear before they make it to a serving plate.

Crisp Zucchini Medallions

1-2 zucchinis
1/2 c milk
1 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
oil

Wash and pat dry zucchinis. Slice medallions of zucchini no thinner than 1/4″ thick. Pour milk into a small, wide dish (I use a cereal bowl). In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Dip each medallion in the milk, then dip into the flour mixture, ensuring that each side is thinly coated. As you work, add more flour & seasoning as needed (your flour will get really gummy).

Once all medallions are coated, drizzle enough oil into a frying pan to thinly coat the bottom and heat until oil glistens. Add zucchini to the pan forming a single layer. Fry for 4-5 minutes or until bottoms of medallions are golden brown. Gently flip each medallion with a fork and cook until both sides are golden brown. Remove from pan to a plate lined with napkins or paper towels. Continue until all zucchini is cooked, replenishing the oil in the frying pan as needed.

Serve immediately. That is, if there are any left to serve after you leave the kitchen.

Yes, those are beach umbrellas.

Yes, that’s a coffee table on a tenth-floor oceanfront balcony.

Yes, that’s homemade breakfast.

We just got back from a fabulous weekend at the beach, a weekend filled with sand and sun and all other manner of beach-y fun. But I also couldn’t resist the opportunity to utilize the full kitchen in our room. Unsure of what this little kitchen might keep in its cupboards, I packed, um, one or two essentials and tossed them in the car with my swimsuit and flip flops.

And to cook I didn’t really have any meals in mind, but I filled a cooler with a smattering of ingredients anyway and put them in the car along with my box-o-kitchen-gear.

It turned out that breakfast on our first morning there was a great time to cook (Brad sleeps in like a champ). Based on the ingredients I had, I found two tasty latke recipes, which sounded so good I decided to combine them. I love a good potato pancake, and adding zucchini (first of the season!) seemed like an excellent idea.  After I had set my heart on these little cakes of joy, I discovered one flaw in my plan: I had forgotten the box grater.

No grater! I know I unloaded it from the dishwasher, how did it not make it into the box!?! After maniacally opening every drawer and cupboard in the kitchen in search of cooking utensils (and finding only a spatula, a can opener, and a corkscrew), I tried to regain control. This was no big deal. Surely I could figure out how to fry some dang vegetables into a patty without the comfort and ease of my trusty grater.

Luckily I had not forgotten a big sharp knife. After much, much, much chopping, breakfast was near! Without long shreds of potato and zucchini, I was a little nervous about the patties holding together. How could these little chunks of vegetable adhere to one another strongly enough to become a latke But miracle of miracles! Eggs and flour came to the rescue (as usual), and with some careful, two-spatula flipping, these little pancakes came out golden-brown, crispy, and full of flavor.

I’ve enjoyed latkes before with a little sour cream, but I did not have any in my tiny arsenal of ingredients. I did have cream, though, and after a few minutes of vigorous whipping and a dash of salt, I had just the dollop I was looking for. Thank goodness I didn’t forget a whisk.

And then breakfast! Enjoyed in the warm May sunshine and a salty breeze.

And with one hell of a view.

Makeshift Zucchini Latkes & Savory Cream
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen, both here and here

For the Latkes
1 1/2 c zucchini, finely chopped or grated
2 c potatoes, finely chopped or grated
3/4 c onion, finely chopped or grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
canola oil for frying

Slice zucchini in half length-wise and scoop out seeds with a spoon before chopping or grating. Finely chop or grate zucchini, potatoes, and onion and combine in a strainer. Squeeze out as much liquid as you can through the strainer. Pour vegetables into a large bowl and add garlic, egg, flour, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice. Stir until thoroughly combined.

In a large frying pan, add canola oil until the bottom is coated and heat over medium until oil glistens. Once oil is hot, carefully scoop a heaping tablespoon of the vegetable mixture into the pan and flatten with the back of the spoon. Use spoon to tuck stray pieces of potato or zucchini up against the latke if needed. Add three or four spoonfuls to your pan, depending on the size, to cook multiple latkes at once. Allow latke to cook for 2-3 minutes. Use a flat spatula to carefully lift latke from the pan. Then, have another spatula on hand to flip the latke onto, then returning it to the pan to allow the other side to cook. I found I had fewer tragedies using this method rather than flipping the latke with one spatula. Once both sides are golden brown and crisp, remove latkes to a plate lined with paper towels.

Serve hot with a dollop of savory cream (see below) for dipping.

For the Savory Cream

1/4 c heavy cream
dash of salt

Pour cream into a bowl and whisk/beat until cream has thickened to the point where it holds a soft peak. I found that returning the cream to the fridge every few minutes (mostly when I had latkes to flip) helped to keep the cream cold enough to hold shape.

Once cream has thickened, add just a little bit of salt to taste.