red or green?: Corn On The Cob With Basil-Jalapeno Pesto

It's summer, and I want delicious and easy recipes for all my meals. No complicated preparations, just quick and simple. Because when fresh produce is in season the last thing I want to do is muck up the taste with heavy sauces or overcooking.

This corn on the cob dish is a perfect example. Barely cooked corn (or grilled), topped with the freshest possible basil pesto, sprinkled with tangy shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. How good does that sound? And, to give it a bit of a kick, I added jalapeño peppers to the pesto. I will be serving this all summer. Enjoy!

Corn On The Cob With Basil-Jalapeno Pesto
(serves 4-6)

4-6 ears corn
sea salt
black pepper
1 recipe Basil-Jalapeno pesto (recipe follows)
1/2 cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano

Roast or grill corn. Or, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt water and add corn. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from cooking water and place on a platter.

Spread pesto liberally over each ear of corn. Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Pass the salt and pepper to season as desired. Serve immediately.

Basil-Jalapeno Pesto

1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz parmigiano-reggiano cheese, cut into 2 pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh jalapeno, seeded and deveined
5 cups basil leaves (packed)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
freshly cracked black pepper

Toast pine nuts in a skillet until just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add cheese to a food processor fitted with the chopping/mixing blade. Process until the cheese is grated. Add cooled pine nuts, garlic and jalapeno pepper and process until all ingredients are finely grated. Add half of basil leaves, and 1/4 cup olive oil and process until smooth but with a bit of texture. Add remaining basil, remaining olive oil, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Process until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Other Pesto recipes you may enjoy.