GRILLED CORN SALAD

This salad says summer like no other when made with fresh corn; you can also perk up your winter menu by substituting 4 cups of pan fried from frozen corn kernels. Serve warm.
Difficulty 3/5 Prep Time 20 MIN Cook Time 25 MIN Serves 8

INGREDIENTS

8 cobs fresh corn (4 cups frozen or canned corn kernels)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
1 small chipotle pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoons frozen orange juice concentrate or 2 teaspoon orange juice
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

  1. Soak the corn cobs in their husks, in a pail of cold water, for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, setup your grill to cook hot and fast over direct heat around 500F (260C), place the red and yellow peppers directly on the grill. Turn the peppers occasionally to char the skins on all sides. Remove the peppers. When cool enough to handle, peel the charred skin from the flesh; seed and chop. Set aside.
  2. Reduce heat to MEDIUM around 400F (204C) then place the corn cobs with husks on the grill. Turn the cobs about every 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel off the husks and cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife in a large bowl. Add to this bowl the chopped red and yellow peppers, the sun-dried tomatoes, jalapeno pepper, chives and cilantro.
  3. In the bowl of a food processor or in a blender, combine the chipotle pepper, garlic, vinegar and orange juice concentrate. Process for 20-30 seconds, then add the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, with machine running. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If you do not have a food processor or a blender, finely mince the chipotle pepper and garlic, then add vinegar and orange juice. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.) Drizzle the dressing over the corn mixture and serve.