Sometimes it’s the side dishes that are the most interesting as the sensual sidekicks to the main course. At this time of year tomatoes and corn are center stage and can be a great duo when served together as a side-dish pairing.
Baked summer tomato pudding
Two of my favorites are a baked tomato casserole and a corn dish. The tomatoes are baked with good crusty bread, akin to a tomato pudding. And the corn is an interesting devise in which you cook fresh kernels off the cob in some butter and cream to soften then add steamed or boiled summer squash that’s mashed and added to the corn mixture to cook for a while longer until the two become even richer. The corn helps to thicken the stew, something like an embellished creamed corn dish, with the squash added for texture and sweetness.
Velvet corn and squash
I made these two dishes last night while the evening was still steeped in a chilly rain. The main course was pork chops served with an accompaniment of beets and carrots. The meal offers a lot of vegetables, but at this time of year everything is at its prime.
I happened to have some peaches that I wanted to use up so I also prepared a classic peach pie. The recipe will be upcoming soon in my special summer pie report.
Classic summer peach pie
I offer recipes for the corn and tomatoes but if you want to prepare the pork here’s how it goes.
Seared and oven baked pork with beets and carrots
Boil up some beets and carrots (in separate pots), leaving the carrots still quite firm and the beets until easily pricked with a knife. Slip off the skins. Quarter the beets (use different colors). Put carrots and beets in separate bowls. Add olive oil and a touch of balsamic vinegar to beets and season generously with salt and pepper; then cut up fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary and crushed garlic if you like. Allow to steep for several minutes. For the carrots, moisten with olive oil and the juice from 1 freshly squeezed orange. Add the same herbs and garlic.
For the pork (use loin or porterhouse chops), season generously with salt, pepper and garlic salt. Put into a hot cast iron skillet in which you’ve heated canola oil. Brown the chops on both sides until nicely colored. Put into an oval baking dish (Le Creuset is perfect). Place the carrots and beets on either side of the pork. Set in a hot 425 degree oven and roast for 10 minutes or until there’s still somee pink in the chops and the vegetables become glazed, having moistened each with the olive oil and herb mixture. Serve the pork with carrots and beets as well as the corn and tomato dishes. The pork will be very tender and juicy, and the meal is absolutely delicious.
On warm summer evenings instead of using the oven the pork can be cooked on the grill, charring first and then cooking in a closed barbecue with the addition of smoking woods for extra flavor.
A version of the pork prepared on the grill
Ingredients
- Tomatoes
- 5 to 6 medium to large tomatoes, mixed varieties and colors
- 6 slices thickly cut day old bread (or put in 350 degree oven to dry out for 5 minutes)
- Water
- Salt and pepper
- Sugar
- Butter
- Corn
- 2 summer squash, about 1 pound
- 2 ears corn, kernels removed
- 2 tablespoons butter
- About 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Tomatoes
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Peel and seed the tomatoes by plunging them in boiling water. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 3 to 4 minutes. The skins will peel off easily.
- Cut in half, squeeze and remove seeds then cut into quarters
- Line a 2 to 3-inch high baking dish with slices of bread, crusts removed (save the crusts). Depending on the size of your dish, 2 slices on each side of the dish should suffice.
- Meanwhile stew the tomatoes in about 1/2 cup water, cooking for about 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Using a slotted spoon, add the tomatoes to the prepared dish and just a smidgen of the tomato water. Season with salt and pepper and a few sprinkles of sugar. Dot with about 2 tablespoons butter. Cover with the bread crusts and dot the top with more butter bits, about 1 to 2 tablespoons. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the bread is browned and the tomatoes are bubbling gently. Serve immediately.
- Corn Prepare the vegetables. With the squash, trim the ends, cut in half lengthwise and remove the seeds if large (they tend to be with organic heirloom varieties). Cut into half-inch thick slices.
- Put into a pot of boiling salted water and cook over medium heat until soft. Drain and return to pot. Mash with a potato masher for a roughly pureed texture similar to a lumpy mash. Set aside.
- Melt the butter in a cast-iron skillet and add the corn, stirring to coat it with the butter. Sauté over medium low heat for about 7 minutes, stirring often. Add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes. Then add the squash and mix well. Add more cream if necessary. Cook for about 10 minutes to allow the two vegetables to develop together and the cream has reduced to a thickened consistency. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or reheat if necessary.
Notes
Tomatoes. A good bread to use is the Scala loaf from Rosemont Market or the Pullman loaf from Standard Baking. And rather than using day old bread, cut the bread in slices and put in the oven for about 5 minutes or until it dries out somewhat.
Corn.This is a spectacular dish with the best flavor using these two fine summer vegetables. For cream use organic pasteurized or raw cream for best flavor and texture.
