Potato Pancakes

Leftovers are a thing in my house with my little family of three. Especially when it comes to mashed potatoes since I overestimate the quantity pretty much always.

Mashed potatoes are a cinch to transform into super yummy Potato Pancakes. These are great for a light lunch with a salad or just a little snack. Serve with a little sour cream on the side.

My son and husband both love them. And, so do I, natch. They would be so amaze with salmon caviar.

Potato Pancakes
Makes about 12

2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 egg lightly beaten
3 scallions, minced
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. vegetable oil per batch

In a bowl, combine mashed potatoes, flour, egg, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a spoon. Set aside in fridge until ready to cook.

Form potato mixture into small patties, about 2-3 Tbsp. each. In a pan over medium high heat, add oil. Once hot, add patties about 4-6 at a time. Cook 2 to 3 minutes per side. They are ready to flip when they do not stick to the pan.

Serve with sour cream.

Fakeout Takeout: Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups

We do love a Chinese takeout night as much as the next guy, but I find it super fun to make Chinese food at home.

These Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups were a total hit. I would make them again for a party or for our next stirfry night at home.

Now I am in no way an expert in Asian cuisine. I consider myself a dabbler. And, I'm not quite sure how authentic crab Rangoon is. But I do know this version we made recently at home is totally delish, and it's baked. Yay! I try to avoid fried foods as much as possible.

Wonton wrappers can be found in the refrigerated Asian section of your grocery store. I found my package hanging around the tofu and whatnot.

Due to my lifelong food allergies to nuts, peanuts, avocado and various other ingredients, making Chinese food at home is much more peaceful for me mentally than going out to a Chinese restaurant where the potential for cross contamination is possible.

This was fun to make. My son helped me place the wonton wrappers in a standard muffin tin. And he also was the taste tester as shown here:

I did buy a bottle of dipping sauce for the wonton cups but these were so delish on the own they really needed zero accoutrement.

Crab Rangoon Wonton Cups
Makes 12
From www.lemontreedwelling.com

12 wonton wrappers 
12 oz. cream cheese, softened 
1/4 cup sour cream 
4 oz. imitation crab, *substitute 1 can lump crab, drained 
2 green onions, thinly sliced 
1/4 tsp. worcestershire sauce 
1/4 tsp. soy sauce 

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray muffin pan with cooking spray.

Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin cup; bake 10 minutes or until edges begin to brown.

Remove from oven and cool slightly.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, 1 sliced green onion, worcestershire sauce, and soy sauce. Stir well.

Place crab in a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Stir chopped crab into cream cheese mixture.

Spoon filling into baked wonton shells; bake for an additional 8-12 minutes.

Top with sliced green onions. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or sweet chili sauce as desired.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used 8 ounces of cream cheese instead of 12. She also used lump crab meat and not imitation.

Spinach and Tomato Three Cheese Calzones

I've been sick since Christmas and have had zero appetite, but I've been itching to get going in the kitchen on SOMETHING! So, I gave these cute Spinach and Tomato Three Cheese Calzones a go.

I think they are much lighter than those found at your average Jersey pizza shop. You can of course serve them with some marinara on the side, but I ate mine sans sauce. The fresh vegetables really shine through, and I think an egg in the cheese mixture helps them not feel so heavy.

Enjoy!

Spinach and Tomato Three Cheese Calzones

Makes 4 servings

For the cheese layer:
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/8 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the vegetable layer:
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 Tbsp. scallions, finely chopped
3/4 cups baby spinach, chopped
1 Tbsp. basil, finely chopped
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt
Black pepper to taste

1 16 ounce ball of pizza dough

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, to prepare the baking sheet

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil to brush the calzones

Flour as needed to roll out dough

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lightly oil your baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a paper towel. Set aside.

On a floured surface, divide pizza dough into four equal balls. Roll out each ball into a circle or a square.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl gently combine the egg, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Next, in a second bowl combine grape tomatoes, scallions, baby spinach, basil, 1 tsp. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.

Evenly divide the cheese mixture among the rolled out dough pieces, covering half of the dough and leaving a 1/4-inch border around the filling.

Evenly divide the vegetable layer on top of the cheese layer, again leaving a border of dough.

Gently fold over the remaining half of the dough to cover the toppings. Fold the edge to seal in the filling, pinching with your fingers.

Place calzones on baking sheet. Brush the calzones with the remaining 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, dividing evenly.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.

Caesar Roasted Swordfish

Check it. Caesar Roasted Swordfish is so so so necessary in your life. It's like restaurant food straight up in your house. And you made it. Whenever I taste a dish and think, "Holy cannoli, Susan, YOU made THIS?!?!," I know it is the good stuff.

I followed the recipe exactly, but I cut it in halfsies since two full grown peeps and one little peep make up my fam. Although, the fish monger at Shop Rite totally wanted to come home and have dinner with us.

Any recipe that lets you prep in advance is a winner in my book. You can definitely make the sauce way early in the day and stick it in the refrigerator. A no-brainer win win.

The sizzling caper addition at the end is a super awesome touch. It made me very happy.

We ate the swordfish with rice, arugula salad and garlic bread just because I had some bread heading toward death in the cupboard and some pesto in the freezer that was just asking to be used. I'm usually not so carbtastic, but what the hey. My little man loves some garlic bread. And he tasted the swordfish without terrorist negotiations while eating loads of garlic bread and rice and salad.

Caesar Roasted Swordfish
From "Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That?"
By Ina Garten
Serves 6

2 large garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. anchovy paste
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 cup good mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
3 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 pounds center cut swordfish steaks, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, cut into 6 portions
1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (4 scallions)
2 Tbsp. good olive oil
3 Tbsp. drained capers
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is very clean.) Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

For the Caesar sauce, place the garlic, parsley, anchovy paste, and mustard in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the garlic is minced. Add the mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and pulse to make a smooth sauce.

Place the swordfish steaks on the pan and sprinkle both sides generously with salt and pepper. Set aside one-third of the sauce to serve the with cooked fish. Spread the fish on one side with half the remaining sauce, turn the fish, and spread the remaining sauce on the second side. Sprinkle with the scallions and allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Here the swordfish awaits its time in the oven. 

All lined up and ready to go.

Roast the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, until the center is just barely cooked. Cover the fish with the aluminum foil and allow to rest on the pan for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saute pan until very hot, add the capers, and cook for 30 to 60 seconds, until they start to pop and are a little crisp. Serve the swordfish hot with the lemon wedges, frizzled capers, and the reserved Caesar sauce.

Hot and Sour Soup

One of the side effects of being a food snob is that takeout eats make a rare appearance on my kitchen table. This is also the result of being a control freak, a lova of cooking and a gal who rocks some killer food allergies.

But, a hankering for Chinese food hits the best and worst of us at any given time. And so, a pot of Hot and Sour Soup just NEEDED to be concocted. To hell with deChristmasing, decluttering and decompressing!!

I absolutely LOVE this soup. It tasted so much lighter and refreshing than what I get in a restaurant. And that is exactly what I was looking for after weeks of holiday eats and parties and drinking. (Well, I'm still drinking. Let's just keep it real.)

One of the highlights of the soup is that my little man Evan James, HOUSED it. Two bowls! And he declared a love for tofu and mushrooms that warmed my foodie heart.

This was fairly easy to make. I suppose the hardest part was dealing with the fresh ginger, which you need to peel, then grate and then press through a sieve to get the ginger juice all up in your pot of warm delicious goodness. I grated my ginger with my Microplane, but a box grater will work just fine.

And just to warn you, be sure to discard the stems from the shiitake mushrooms you use. The stems are very tough. You just want to use the caps in this.

I used low sodium chicken broth and low sodium soy sauce.

Hot and Sour Soup
From Martha Stewart Living, April 2004

• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 4 cups), stemmed, caps thinly sliced

• 3 to 4 tablespoons rice vinegar

• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

• 1/2 package (7 ounces) soft or firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch cubes, drained

• 2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger

• 3 scallions, thinly sliced

• In a large (5-quart) pot, combine broth, soy sauce, crushed red pepper, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Add mushrooms; reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.

• In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons vinegar and cornstarch. Add to pot; simmer, stirring, until soup is thickened, about 1 minute.

• Add egg through a slotted spoon, and stir to form ribbons. Stir in tofu. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 1 minute. Put ginger in a small sieve, and squeeze to release juice into soup (discard solids). Taste; add remaining tablespoon vinegar, if desired. Serve sprinkled with scallions.

Told Ya So

The true test of culinary greatness is when you can convince someone – in this case the someone is The Husband – that he/she really enjoys consuming an ingredient  - in this case, the ingredient is mushrooms - that he/she mistakenly thinks he doesn’t dig.

God, this husband of mine. Look, I love him with all of my soul. Even when he spills mustard, coffee or some other impossible element to Shout out, scrub out, curse out of his freakin’ million-dollar Ralph Lauren Polo shirts not even an hour – AN HOUR – after The Jersey Girl finishes laundry. Don’t even get me started on the bathroom. And if you must know, yes, he is a snorer.

I know that paragraph was riddled with about 100 husband/wife clichés, but it is SO my reality. What do you want from me?

Meanwhile, my loving better half who moves the earth and the moon and the sun to make my life and that of Baby Evan’s super duper fabulous - (Yes, I’m covering my bootie right now. But The Husband really is awesome despite my griping, pinky swear) – decides to protest the eating of mushrooms. Mushrooms. They’re perfectly harmless. God.

So, what’s your beef with mushrooms, Husband?!

When asked to reveal his inner thoughts on the shroom, The Husband calmly states while swilling his Stella, “You know what it is? It’s the texture.” Then he went on to say something about big mushrooms vs. little mushrooms and that he likes them when they’re in a dish with something else but they shouldn’t be the focus of the dish and he doesn’t like the chewy ones they put in the takeout at the Chinese restaurant….. At this point, as most seasoned wifeys masterfully do, I blocked him out. When he was at a wrap, I informed him that he would be trying stuffed mushrooms with red peppers and scallions, and he would like it.

And……………….

He DID!!!!

In fact, he went back for seconds. AND THIRDS.

God damn, I’m amazing. Well, maybe I’m not that great, but the recipes of Lidia Bastianich are, and I guess really, I should be thanking her.

I strongly believe The Husband was head over heels with this dish due to the above-mentioned sautéed red pepper and scallion. The Husband loves his red peppers and scallions. And beer. And escargot, which is ironic, since the texture of a snail drenched in butter is totally similar to that of many button-sized mushrooms. (The Husband is rolling his eyes right now as he is not a fan of my lectures regarding the similarities between mushrooms and foods he claims to like, or my curseword-laden monologues about how our home is NOT a college dorm and please for the love of God pick up your clothes off the floor, or my subtle reminders that it REALLY is time to bring the mounting pile of castoffs in the spare bedroom to Goodwill. No, really.)

For the record, The Husband is amazing at making the bed, cleaning up the kitchen and tidying up toys. Plus he puts up with me and my questions and my giggles and my worries on a daily basis. So, he really is a saint of sorts. Plus, he rocks out with some fabulous diamond-laden jewels when the time is right i.e, Christmas, birthdays, Labor Day (Just kidding, Husband.) And Evan adores him. And so does The Jersey Girl!!

OK. So below is the recipe. These mushrooms would be fab at a cocktail party. Just stick a toothpick in it. Hee.

There are also some pics of Baby Evan (who is SO not a baby anymore) kicking it at a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park. The Husband did not understand why I failed to post pics of this event in my last blog entry. And my reason is….. well, I got nothin’.  Maybe I don’t want to remind all of us how bad this year’s team is.

Take it away, Lidia:

Stuffed Mushrooms

From "Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen"

By Lidia Mattichio-Bastianich

24 white or cremini mushrooms

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the tops of the mushrooms if you like
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup chicken stock
¼ cup dry white wine, optional

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the stems from the mushrooms (set the caps aside), and finely chop them.

Heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool.

Toss the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley and the sautéed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season with salt and pepper.  Stuff the cavity of each mushroom with the filling, pressing it in with a teaspoon until even with the sides of the mushrooms.

Using 2 Tbsp. of the butter, grease a 12-by-18-inch low-sided baking pan. Arrange the mushrooms side by side in the pan and, using the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, dot the top of each mushroom with about ¼ tsp. butter. Add the stock, wine if using and remaining 2 Tbsp. parsley to the pan. If you like, drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with olive oil. Bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Serve the mushrooms on a warmed platter or divide them among warmed plates. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the mushrooms and serve immediately.

Please note: The Jersey Girl did use the optional wine called for in the recipe. She did NOT top each mushroom with a dot of butter, just a drizzle of olive oil. She also did NOT reduce the pan drippings into a sauce.

Hanging with Mommy.

Hanging with Daddy.

Directing Mommy and Daddy.

Checking out the Phanatic.

Taking a break to shout out some letters. 

Evan's obsessed with the alphabet.

Evan loves his Daddy!

Spring into Action

Spring associations for the Jersey Girl include but are not limited to:

Cute clothes (I mean, don’t you totally covet the entire spring J. Crew collection? No? Just me?? )

Opening Day. (Which means The Husband will be spending all of his upcoming free time with his mistress aka The Phillies.)

Allergies.

Time for a pedicure.

Window cleaning.

Asparagus.

God, my list is so lame.

Today, we will focus on the asparagus. Particularly, the asparagus salad the Jersey Girl rocked out on Easter – the only holiday that the fam permits me to host.

Truth be told, I was totally hoping The Husband would burst into the house during March, pop open a bottle of bubbly and declare, “Woman, Pack your bags. I am whisking you off in a private jet to Aruba for Easter.” Ironically, I have washed my hands of General Hospital for almost a year now. So where this dream came from…. Who knows?

Fun fact: March was the month that The Jersey Girl household was keeping it real with a minimum of one family member per day suffering from some kind of cough, cold or bug. As if, there isn’t enough laundry and cleaning to do when we’re healthy. Thanks, God.

Once April rolled around, my sickly party of three was finally on the mend. And, so of course the Jersey Girl was all about planning the Easter festivities.

By this stage of the game, holiday preparations are a bit like clockwork. Or, tradition if you will.

For instance, my Easter brunch always features Lidia’s Scallion and Asparagus Salad. It’s super awesome and springy. An easy breezy red wine dressing brightens up the blanched vegetables. Once it’s all tossed together, the true symbol of spring – eggs in hard-boiled form – are scattered atop the bowl of green lovelies. Then, you just chill the salad until time to serve.

I suppose the kink in the matter is that the dish MUST be prepared the day of your brunch. This is where my OCD-type list-making comes in real REAL handy.

Scallion and Asparagus Salad

From “Lidia’s Family Table”

Lidia Bastianich

 Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus

3/4 pound scallions

3 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt, or more if needed

Freshly ground pepper to taste

3 hard-cooked eggs, peeled

Cooking the Vegetables
With a vegetable peeler, shave off the skin from the bottom 3 inches or so of each stalk, so they cook evenly. Snap off the hard stubs at the bottom of the asparagus stalks—they'll break naturally at the right point.

Trim the root end of each scallion and the wilted ends of the green leaves. Peel off the loose layers at the white end too, so the scallions are all tight, trim, and about 6 inches long.

In a wide deep skillet, bring 1 quart of water (or enough to cover the vegetables) to a boil, and add the asparagus and scallions.

Adjust the heat to maintain a bubbling boil, and poach the asparagus and scallions, uncovered, for about 6 minutes or more, until they are tender but not falling apart, and cooked through but not mushy. To check doneness, pick up an asparagus spear in the middle with tongs; it should be a little droopy but not collapsing.

As soon as they are done, lift out the vegetables with tongs and lay them in a colander (any fat asparagus spears may take a little longer, so leave them in a few minutes more). Hold the colander under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain briefly, then spread on kitchen towels, pat dry, and sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon salt over them.

Making the Salad
Slice the asparagus and the scallions into 1-inch lengths, and pile them loosely in a mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil and vinegar over them, then sprinkle on 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper. Toss well, but don't break up the vegetables.

Quarter the eggs into wedges, and slice each wedge into two or three pieces; salt lightly and scatter the egg in the bowl, and fold in with the vegetables. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chill the salad briefly, then arrange it on a serving platter or on salad plates.

Delightful Dinner

Sometimes, a light meal is all you need.

Especially, if you want your 10:30 p.m. fix of a bowl of ice cream while watching the DVR version of “General Hospital” following that night’s Phillies game.

These Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce along with Grilled Vegetables with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette are the perfect combo of healthiness.

The chops are a Rachael Ray recipe from the first cookbook of hers that I ever purchased, “30 Minute Meals 2.” This was Rachael Ray before she really hit the big time. Before she was Oprah-fied and uber famous with a talk show. Before she had pots and pans in her name and hosted 20 different Food Network programs. I like this Rachael Ray. Honestly, if you are a beginning cook, I strongly recommend the cookbook. It has some great, easy recipes.

The sauce can be made ahead, and the lamb chops cook in just a few minutes. This is a fantastic recipe for a dinner party because it’s easy, breezy but comes off super special. My motto is: The less stress for the hostess; the better the party.

With the chops, I served a fabulous array of grilled veggies and a simple lemon parsley vinaigrette.

Because we are currently grill-less in my household, I grilled my zucchini, red bell peppers and scallions on my Le Creuset grill pan. This forced me to cook the veggies in batches which is fine because different vegetables require different cooking times.

The vegetables can totally be served at room temp, so no worries. This recipe comes from yours truly, but it’s really just a guide. You can shake up your vegetables, or change up the herbs in the vinaigrette. Basil or mint would totally rock in it.

I must advise all of you fabulous readers to try grilled scallions, because they really are heavenly. In its raw state, a scallion is just an onion; but after grilling it for a few minutes it is SO much more.

Lamb Chops with Mint and Mustard Dipping Sauce
From “30 Minutes Meals 2”
By Rachael Ray

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

2 cloves smashed garlic
12 loin lamb chops, 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick each
Salt and pepper
3 rounded tablespoons prepared grain mustard
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar, 2 splashes
1 tablespoon honey, a good drizzle
1/4 cup mint leaves, a couple of handfuls of sprigs, reserve 4 leaves for garnish
4 leaves radicchio lettuce

Preheat broiler to high. Place garlic in a small saucepan and add 2/3 cup oil, to cover. Heat oil and garlic over low heat for 5 minutes. Remove oil from heat. Arrange lamb chops on broiler pan. Drizzle 3 teaspoonfuls of the garlic oil over the lamb and spread the oil over the chops with a brush to coat evenly. Season chops with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside.


To a food processor or blender, add mustard, vinegar, honey. Turn processor or blender on and stream in remaining garlic and oil. Turn the processor or blender off and add mint to the container. Pulse and grind the dipping sauce to incorporate the leaves.

Broil chops 3 minutes on each side, then let them rest up to 10 minutes for the juices to distribute. The lamb will be cooked to medium. Serve 3 chops per person with dipping sauce portioned in radicchio leaves along side the chops. Garnish with sprigs of mint.

Please note: The raddicchio leaves are optional. The Jersey Girl does not use them.

Grilled Vegetables with Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
(Makes 4 servings)

1 red bell pepper, in ½ inch slices
1 large zucchini, in ½ inch vertical slices
1 bunch of scallions (6-10), ends trimmed
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus a drizzle for grill pan
Salt and pepper

Toss each type of vegetable with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Using a paper towel, lightly grease grill pan with a drizzle of olive oil

In batches, grill vegetables in a grill pan over medium heat. Grill bell peppers for about 10 to 12 minutes; zucchini for about 7 to 10 minutes and scallions for about 5 minutes. Flip vegetables halfway through so that both sides are grilled. Remove vegetables from pan and place on serving platter. Top with lemon-parsley vinaigrette. (Recipe is below.)

Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk together. Pour over grilled vegetables.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Summer Pasta Salad

I live in a great place. Especially in the summer. That’s because fresh, affordable produce is right here everywhere I turn.

Yes, Hammonton is chockfull of farms and farm markets.

Two of New Jersey’s greatest summer products – tomatoes and corn – are featured in my pasta salad shown here. I call it Grape Tomato and Corn Pasta Salad.

Riveting title, I know.

The dish is pretty basic. It doesn’t have too much going on, so the name is pretty simple too.

The sweetness of the corn and grape tomatoes are offset by the tartness of the lemon and the zip of the scallions.

It’s a refreshing side to whatever you’re serving and it would definitely rock at a picnic or barbecue. And the colors are pure summer.

Grape Tomato and Corn Pasta Salad
(Makes 4 side dish servings)

1 cup ditalini
1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 ears of corn, cooked, kernels cut from cob
3 scallions, thinly sliced
Juice and zest from 1 lemon
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
15 basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil. Cook ditalini according to package instructions. Once cooked, strain in a colander. Cool for a few minutes

Combine the tomatoes, corn, scallions, lemon juice and zest in a bowl. Add pasta. Toss. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and basil leaves. Toss again. Serve at room temperature or chilled.