Grilled Corn Salsa and Feta Quesadillas with Fresh Pico de Gallo

Today: Let a summer evening bleed late into a summer night with a dinner that requires minimal effort and has maximum taste. 

  

There are those foods that seem to speak for themselves—like fresh corn on the cob, juicy summer stone fruits, and perfectly ripe avocados—and don't need much help from us to make a dish shine.

When it comes to cooking them, a minimalist treatment is best—good news for those of us who prefer to celebrate this produce-abundant season without doing much prep work beforehand. Enter the Next Day Grilled Corn, Pineapple, and Peach Salsa and Feta Quesadilla with Fresh Pico de Gallo and Avocado—two incredibly easy dishes for a relaxing summer night. 

The Menu:

Click through on the recipe photos or titles to see (and save and print) the full recipes, or take advantage of our handy grocery list and overview below.

Next Day Grilled Corn, Pineapple, and Peach Salsa 

  

Feta Quesadillas with Fresh Pico de Gallo and Avocado

Grocery List:

(Organized by area of the market) 

Serves 6

1 ear of corn, husked
1 peach, halved with pit removed
1 pineapple, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 large tomatoes, diced
1/2 white onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped Vidalia or sweet onion 
1 avocado
1 bunch fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
1 lemon
1 lime
Feta cheese
12 corn tortillas
Hot sauce (like Cholula)

We are assuming you have garlic, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, butter, and olive oil. If not, be sure to add them to your list!

Overview:

About an hour before dinner (or even a day or two before), grill the corn, peach, and three slices of pineapple for the salsa. Chop them up, reserve the juices, add the 1/4 cup chopped Vidalia onion, and set aside in a bowl. Make a dressing from the olive oil, lime juice, the juice accumulated from the pineapple and peach, and salt and pepper. Mix in the chopped vegetables and fruits, add hot sauce to taste, and set aside. 

Go ahead and make yourself a margarita to sip on while you gather your ingredients for the pico de gallo. Take a gulp or two of your drink, and then dice the tomatoes and the 1/2 white onion, mince the garlic, and toss everything together in a bowl, adding as much minced jalapeño and lemon juice as you like. Season with salt and pepper, and set aside to let the flavors marry.

With about 20 minutes left until dinner, heat up a saucepan with olive oil. Place two corn tortillas with a generous helping of feta cheese between them in the pan. While the quesadilla cooks, peel and slice the avocados. Remove the quesadillas from the pan and cut into quarters. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a big heap of pico de gallo and sliced avocado on top. If you can, eat it outside.

All photos by James Ransom