Grilled Corn Succotash

Makes 2 servings

3 ears yellow corn 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeño pepper, diced ½ red onion, diced 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon smoked paprika ½ teaspoon cumin 1 lime 4 ounces queso fresco 10 sprigs cilantro

Instructions: Remove the husk and corn silk from the ears of corn and roast them whole on a grill. Charcoal heated is best for flavor, but oven roasted will work as well. Grill or roast until kernels begin to char, about 5 minutes. Dice the pepper, jalapeño and onion the same size as the corn kernels. Remove kernels from the cooled cobs by running your knife from the base to the tip.

Place sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add butter and let it come to a golden brown. Add diced vegetables, corn, garlic and seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, cumin) and gently stir with a spoon for about five minutes. Do not overcook vegetables; they should maintain the same soft crunch as the corn. As appropriate texture nears, squeeze half of the lime into the pan. Remove the pan from heat and spoon succotash into a bowl. Crumble the queso fresco over the top and hand-tear cilantro sprigs into the bowl. Squeeze the other half of lime over the succotash and enjoy while the contents are still hot.

Chef’s tip: If you’re bold, do not remove the seeds from the jalapeño before dicing.