Fresh Corn Salad with Peas and Herbs

Consisting of fresh green pea puree topped with crunchy and flavorful corn, peas, pea tendrils, radicchio, and herbs, dressed in oil and grainy mustard and topped with crumbled ricotta salata cheese, this salad is creamy, cool, crunchy, salty, sweet, and fresh-tasting all at once—a sort of concentrated dose of summertime. Thanks to its crisp textures and summery flavors, it makes a super accompaniment to grilled steak, chicken, sausage, or seafood, and it tends to go over like gangbusters at a barbecue—just brace yourself for enthusiastic praise and recipe requests.

Ingredients:

Eat Cool Vanessa Sedar

For the pea puree

• 2 cups shelled or frozen and thawed peas

• ½ cup water

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

• ½ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons grainy mustard

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon sugar

• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad

• 2 cups raw corn kernels (from 2 to 3 corn cobs)

• 2 cups sugar snap peas, sliced in half lengthwise

• 2 cups pea tendrils

• 1 cup thinly sliced radicchio

• ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, and flat-leaf parsley

• 1 cup crumbled ricotta salata cheese

• Edible flowers (optional), such as borage, marigold, or radish flowers, for garnish

Instructions:

To make the pea puree:

Place the shelled peas, water, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. The puree can be made a day ahead of time, if desired. Divide the pea puree among 4 large plates and smooth out with a spoon or offset spatula.

Set aside.

To make the dressing:

In a small bowl, whisk to combine the mustard, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, then whisk in the olive oil to incorporate.

To make the salad:

Divide the corn among the 4 plates with the pea puree and top with the sugar snap peas, pea tendrils, radicchio, and herbs. Drizzle with the dressing, sprinkle with the ricotta salata, and garnish with the edible flowers if desired. Serve immediately.

Reprinted with permission from Eat Cool by Vanessa Seder, Rizzoli, New York © 2021

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