The Covered Dish - Fresh Corn Relish

I hope your holiday weekend was a great affair for everyone within your family. We celebrated mostly on the 3rd while attending one of our sons’ race nights in Lebanon, Missouri. The evening wrapped up with a beautiful fireworks display. The heat wasn’t as big of concern as I thought it would be, especially for those of us not driving a race car! (Have you ever worn a fire- proof suit while driving in 90 degree heat?)
Our 4th of July dinner was also scaled down, but oh so yummy. Ribs, baked potatoes, Cole slaw and key lime pie. As I prepare meals for the week I’m looking forward to an eggplant sandwich this week. Built on fresh sourdough I layer in the eggplant with avocado spread, spinach, tomato and provolone cheese. Other additions could be a couple strips of bacon, maybe even fresh peppers or onions. Usually I like to toast the bread for this sandwich. On the side we’ll dine on fresh melons and ice tea. Usually my eggplant ends up in eggplant Parmesan, but in the summer months it’s very tempting to make this yummy sandwich. If you’re a vegetarian and you don’t care for eggplant you could also use fried zucchini! (To clarify, I fry the eggplant with a light batter before it goes in the sandwich.)
Let’s chatter about the super simple Fresh Corn Relish. I enjoy corn in the summer, but not to the extent of my husband, Ervin. He would be happy if I served corn ‘every’ day. Remember; corn is a carbohydrate, so it does convert to sugar within the body. My mother would make this at the end of corn freezing season. On the palate I find it very refreshing, especially while enjoying something from the grill. Be sure and plan for it in advance, those in smaller communities may struggle with locating the tarragon vinegar.
After the 4th of July I still have the ‘former teacher vibes’ knowing about half the summer is behind us. Like many of you I have LOTS and I mean LOTS of summer jobs still ahead of me. Let’s embrace the summer and be very thankful for our air conditioning! Have a great week,
Simply Yours,
The Covered Dish.

Fresh Corn Relish
2 cups fresh cooked sweet corn or 10 ounces frozen corn, thawed
2 medium sized tomatoes, skin on coarsely chopped, if time, deseed
1 regular size cucumber, diced, I like to use English Cukes
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
5 teaspoons granulated sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
Makes approximately 3 cups of relish
Mix 3 vegetables together in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl mix the vinegar and sugar until blended. Pour over the vegetables with the salt and pepper and any additional spices or ingredients you desire. I see this with a few green onion tops and perhaps a little fresh cilantro or mint. Cumin or chili powder might even come to mind. Refrigerate before serving. Around 105 calories per serving.