I rarely pay attention to “side dishes”, but a recent feed from My Recipes caught my attention: “25 side dishes for hot dogs”. But before we proceed, let me alert you that coming from New Haven, CT as I do, there are two “core foods” that are woven into our DNA. First, Apizza produced at one of the sacred triumvirates: Pepe’s, Sally’s or Modern. Second, hot dogs from Jimmies of Savin Rock. The hot dogs were (and are) sourced from New Haven firms. When I was a kid, it was Roesslers (now out of business). The tradition is carried on quite successfully by Hummels.
I was looking to throw a few Hummels on the grill, and the idea that there was a side dish that would complete the repast intrigued me. Particularly if it fell outside the traditional deli-salads, or typical add-ons… mustard, relish, kraut, chili & cheese. This recipe is a pure win! In Mexico the dish is also known as esquites, it’s fresh, flavorful, bright & light! And so good with my grilled Hummels!
Having settled on a “casual” menu, I opted to return my 1966 Château Latour to the cellar in favor of a modest French country wine from Saint-Pourçain. I had never heard of this wine appellation before. It is located in central France in the Allier Department, which sits to the west of Saône-et-Loire. The wine is a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir… a blend that is also produced in Côte Chalonnaise Burgundy where it is known as Passe-Tout-Grains. La Ficelle is a decidedly fresh and light bodied red that I served chilled. Hot dogs, street corn salad & a chilled glass or two of La Ficelle… a warm summer evening doesn’t get better!
La Ficelle de Saint-Pourçain ’18 (Saint-Pourçain, France)
Thirty years ago the pioneering Cave Co-opérative at Saint-Pourçain had the fun idea (perhaps inspired by Mouton-Rothschild) of asking a different comic artist to illustrate their red wine bottle every vintage. The common theme throughout the series has been the ‘La Ficelle’ reference, which denotes the section of knotted string that was dipped into your bottle by a waiter to determine how much you should be charged for that evening’s consumption! Young, fresh wine with lovely ruby red and violet colour. Delightful fruit on the nose, showing blackcurrant and cherry, with spicy, peppery overtones. Soft on palate, no hard edges on the perfectly dry & clean finish.
STREET CORN SALAD
Ingredients
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in halves
½ black beans, rinsed and drained
½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese
Directions
1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size. Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming. Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!
2. Combine cilantro, lime juice, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil to blend well.
3. Stir together shucked corn, radishes, tomatoes & black beans in a medium bowl. Gently stir in dressing and toss.
4. Spoon mixture onto a serving platter and sprinkle with cheese.
n.b. There is one nuisance element to this recipe. Fresh corn kernels. I grilled corn the day before, and then shucked the corn from the fridge the following day. What about using frozen corn brought to room temp? It might be a good alternative, but I think I’d miss the taste of grilled corn. On recommendation from the recipe, I substituted Feta cheese for Cotija.
p.s. I made the salad for the second time on Sunday and served it with grilled scallops w/bacon.
