A delicious summer corn salad recipe filled with your garden bounty!
To celebrate the Year of the Corn, garden communicator Shelley S. Cramm, author of God’s Word for Gardeners Bible, shared her corn salad recipe, with a little background on the ingredients and their Biblical connection.*
“There is Corn in Egypt” Salad
This side dish combines grilled corn with plentiful summer produce and a splash of Bible stories to fill body and soul with garden goodness. The theme for this salad comes from Genesis 42, relating the story of the “corn in Egypt” that Jacob sent his sons to buy during Israel’s famine. Egypt had not likely stockpiled the American corn cobs we grow today; rather, their granaries would have stored ancient grains, primarily wheat. However, fields of wheat are commonly called cornfields in Great Britain, a term tracing back to Einkorn wheat. Since Great Britain was home to the original King James translation of the Bible into English, Jacob’s command to his sons became an English-speaker’s expression of abundance, “There is corn in Egypt!”
The saying is a perfect match to the abounding crops of corn and other garden produce available this time of year for a tasty salad. Cucumber, garlic, and onion chives add flavor and a cooling crunch.
“There is Corn in Egypt” Salad
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
- 8-10 ears corn remove the husks & silks
- 4 medium-sized peppers - mild or hot to your liking
- 1 large diced cucumber
- 1 cup finely chopped basil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped chives
- olive oil for lightly coating corn & peppers
Dressing
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp white wine, rice or golden balsamic vinegar, or combine any of these together
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 shallot or 1 Tbsp. diced onion
- Add salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat grill. Clean corn of husks and silks. Slice the peppers lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush corn and pepper strips with olive oil.
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Cook over a heated grill for 5-10 minutes, turning several times to ensure even grill marks. Close lid in between turning to capture heat and complete cooking.
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Remove from grill. Chop peppers and shave corn from cobs when cool enough to handle.
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Meanwhile, make the dressing. In a small bowl, add vinegar and olive oil, press garlic cloves, and shallot through the garlic press and whisk all into liquids.
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In the salad bowl, mix corn, peppers, cucumbers, basil, and chives evenly. Toss with dressing. Add salt & black pepper to taste. Cover and chill for a few hours.
Sweet corn is ready to harvest when the tassels have turned brown. To test for ripeness, peel back the outer husks to look at kernel color. Then push a fingernail into a kernel. If a milky solution comes out, it’s ready to pick!
* “This Summer Bountiful Corn Salad Recipe article is provided by our NGB author member and the views expressed are not necessarily those of National Garden Bureau.”
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