Table for One

With D out of town, camping in Big Sur, I have the whole house to myself.  For 4 whole days.  4 days to do whatever I want, eat whatever I want and finish the pile of homework I have somehow accumulated in the first week of school.  But whenever I'm cooking for just myself, I could care less.  My dinner is usually one of three things; a scrambled egg sandwich, a grilled cheese sandwich or a quesadilla and a big salad.  Sometimes just the big salad.  Or else I space and forget to make dinner entirely because maybe someone got caught up in a marathon TV session, trying to catch up on a whole season's worth in one sitting.  I won't name names or point fingers here, the details aren't important.

In this case, having just been gifted some homegrown tomatoes and corn (picked just hours before eating!) I tossed those together with a few more ingredients to make a fancier side to go with my not-so-fancy tortilla and sharp cheddar cheese.  Okay, it's not a salad revelation, but it's not a pile of lettuce!  And look at those colors!  Clearly I was overeager to eat because I forgot to take the picture until I was nearly half way done with my quesadilla, please excuse the bite marks.  So maybe you're too tired/lazy/underwhelmed by food/zombied out from TV to make dinner tonight, let me recommended this for your meal, it's good for any mood.  Quick, hard to mess up and a nice little celebration of a late summer harvest.

Now, do I have any takers to help me with my homework?


Late Summer Salad

I kept the dressing pretty light here since I wanted to showcase the delicious fresh produce.  The tomatoes will give off their own juices, especially after you salt them, so leave the seasoning until just before serving. 

2 servings

2 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 small ear of sweet yellow corn
a few thin slices off a half a red onion
1/4 of a medium avocado, cut lengthwise into thin slices
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of kosher salt
a few good grinds of black pepper

Bring a small pot (one just big enough to fit an ear of corn) of water to a boil and add the ear of corn.  Boil for 5 minutes and remove corn from water, letting it cool.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a medium sized bowl.  Cut off a few thin slices, however much you feel like really, from the red onion half and rinse under cold water, this will take away some of the bite, and add to the bowl of tomatoes.  Once the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob and add to to bowl as well.

Just before serving, add the pinch of salt, the black pepper and olive oil and give it a good toss.  Top with avocado slices and serve.