Corn, Tomato and Pearl Mozzarella Salad with "Shaken" Italian Vinaigrette

Tuesday, 19 June 2012 | Written by Karen Sheer |Printer-friendly versionSend to friend

Simply Delicious! Easy to prepare as a side dish with great crunch and texture. Perfect next to your favorite main course off the grill in summertime.

Corn has started to pile up and on display at markets everywhere. I love to use corn in inventive ways. Since this recipe has just a few ingredients, why not use the bi - color variety! The bright yellow and white hues adds a nice color pop, joining colorful tomatoes, white mozarella and purple scallions.

About ingredients: Look for multi colored small heirloom tomatoes at farmers' markets over the next few weeks. Trader Joes is selling nice little colorful tomatoes now, the last week of spring. I have been enjoying these "Zima" yellow tomatoes at my local supermarket, a product I am seeing a lot of. They have a richer, sweeter flavor than the usual red grape tomatoes. Check out the color of these purple scallions I found at a local farmers' market last weekend! Use shallot rings, or regular scallions if you can not find them.

Garnish with fresh herbs not just for color, but for the flavor you desire. Purple basil would be nice, snipped chives or fresh parsley. Alternate herbs can be: chervil, marjoram, rosemary or oregano. In the photo on the bottom, I added petite basil (just pinch the small leaves) and fresh chives.

Enjoy this recipe for "Shaken Italian Dressing" ~ in memory of Good Seasons Italian Dressing, which I used to "shake" as a child in the curvy glass cruet. Remember adding water to the specified line? There was a thickening agent in the mix, and a load of sugar and salt. I really shouldn't use the past tense here, this dressing, I am told is still being sold.

My friend Susan asked me for this recipe, and I thought many cooks would like to have this simple dressing handy in the refrigerator. Shake, store and use!

Summer is surely welcomed by me! Local farms have enjoyed the many rainy spring days, followed by strong rays of sunshine. I will continue to visit a few Farmers' Markets a week and bring you some new "zesty" recipes.

Karen