And in case you want some of my favourite recipes, here they come:
Corn, Sweet Onion & Zucchini Sauté with Fresh Mint Fine Cooking Aug/Sep 2007
Serves 4 as a side dish
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups small-diced red onion
1 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
1 1/4 c. small-diced zucchini (about 6 oz. or 1 medium-small zucchini)
2 slightly heaping cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 medium ears)
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. (scant) ground cumin
1/2 tsp. (scant) ground coriander
2 to 3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
lemon juice
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil in a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Uncover, raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are light golden and shrunken, another 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is slightly shrunken and almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add the corn, garlic, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon, until the corn is tender but still slightly toothy to the bite, 3 to 4 minutes. (It will begin to intensify in colour, glisten, and be somewhat shrunken in size, and the bottom of the pan may be slightly brown.) Add the cumin and coriander and cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Remove the pan from the heat, add all but about 1/2 tablespoon of the mint, a good squeeze of lemon, and a few generous grinds of pepper. Stir, let sit 2 minutes, and stir again, scraping up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan (moisture released from the vegetables as they sit will loosen the bits). Season to taste with more salt, pepper, or lemon. Serve warm, sprinkled with the remaining mint.
