Spicy Corn Dip

The corn is as sweet as it's ever been this year and it couldn’t have been more perfect in this spicy corn dip, but I don’t think you can go wrong no matter how you prepare it. Eat it while you can!

Shuck four ears of corn and sauté for five minutes in olive oil or butter with a large shallot and a couple of cloves of garlic. Let it cool in the pan. Add the mixture to the food processor with salt, pepper, a half a cup of ricotta and a handful of spinach and puree until smooth.

To serve, scoop the mixture into a bowl and cover with a generous pouring of chili oil. Or, for a bit more depth saute a hot pepper along with the shallot and garlic. Toasted pita chips are the way to go for this one.

Seared Scallops with Potato Corn Hash

This hash epitomizes my belief that it’s all about great ingredients and keeping it simple, and we’re lucky enough to be surrounded by really great ingredients this time of year. While the grill is warming up cut a few medium potatoes into quarter inch slices, clean a couple of leeks, husk a couple ears of corn, then lightly coat all with olive oil and salt along with a few unpeeled garlic cloves.

Get the potatoes on the grill first followed by the corn, then leeks, and grill until they’re all fully cooked. Throw the garlic on for a few minutes at the end. Once cool enough to handle shuck the corn, dice the potato, chop the leeks, and peel and chop the garlic before combining them all together in a large bowl with salt and pepper to taste. Sear the salted scallops in a very hot pan with oil for about a minute a side and serve immediately.

Clam Bacon Pizza

This is the perfect summer pizza, and one you don’t often see at your local pizzeria...unless you live in New Haven. So whether you’re making your own dough, using a store bought dough ball, or a ready made pizza crust try topping it with some chopped clams and bacon.

Fresh chopped clams are the only way to go for this one;  Drain a half a pint in a colander then sauté a quarter pound of chopped bacon, a diced onion, and a minced garlic clove. When you’re oven is hot top your pizza with the bacon onion mixture followed by the clams and bake until crispy. Salt and dried chili flakes to taste.

Charred Zucchini

Whether it’s the stove top, oven, grill, or open fire ever since reading Francis Mallman’s Seven Fires I’m a huge fan of the char, or controlled burning…especially when it comes to cooking vegetables. So let go of your preconceived notions, turn up the exhaust, and let these zucchini burn, burn, burn.

Set your heaviest pan over medium high heat then slice your zucchini and toss with just a little bit of your best olive oil and salt in a large bowl. Until recently I’ve added the olive oil to the pan but I find this technique works much better. When you’re ready to go slide the zucchini into the pan and cook for seven to ten minutes until charred around the edges, tossing occasionally. Towards the end you may want to individually turn those slices that have evaded being flipped with a pair of tongs. And if you’re adding crushed garlic, chopped shallots, or balsamic vinegar stir in a minute before serving.