SUMMER SALAD: Mendocino Salad with Fresh Corn, Peppers, and Mozzarella

For our second anniversary we spent a weekend away in Mendocino. Among our many meals out there, I had a refreshing salad at a cute Italian place in downtown Fort Bragg called V'Canto. I've recreated it several times already from what main ingredients I remember plus my favorite butter lettuce. It hasn't gotten old, and those we've served it to have really liked it. It's simple, fresh and flavorful. Perfect for summer!

MENDOCINO SALAD WITH FRESH CORN, PEPPERS, AND MOZZARELLA
recipe by Trish Garber


Ingredients:

• butter lettuce
• sliced red bell pepper
• fresh corn, cut off the cob
• mozzarella balls ciliegine (about the size of cherry tomatoes), cut in half
• fresh basil, sliced into thin strips
• Italian seasoning
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• olive oil
• white balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients and drizzle the olive oil and white balsamic vinegar to your liking. Toss and serve!

Things to Note:

• You can cook the corn however you like (microwave, boil, grill). I love the char flavor of the grill, so I usually barbecue mine for about 15 minutes. When you cut it off the cob, do so with the cob standing up inside a bowl; it'll catch those flying kernels :)
• I'm sure substituting which kind of vinegar you use wouldn't affect the recipe too much, so definitely experiment. I do like the mildness of the white balsamic, though.
• From watching many cooking shows, I've found the easiest way to chop basil is to line the leaves up on top of each other and then roll them into one large cylinder. Then when you chop, it automatically makes thin ribbons.