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Grilled Corn Salad:  Ensalada de Elote Asado

Welcome to The Seasoned Franciscan. Sisters and their partners in mission—including affiliates, prayer partners and staff—share these recipes hoping to provide you with new ways of looking at the food around you. Being mindful of the food we eat is integral to making lasting change throughout the world. We focus these recipes on five themes: eating seasonally, exploring our heritages, pursuing meatless meals, foraging or using food scraps and embracing indigenous and ethnic foods.

New recipes are shared on a regular basis and can be submitted to the FSPA Eco Pact Team at ecopact@fspa.org.

Grilled Corn Salad:  Ensalada de Elote Asado

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn
10 scallions
5 T olive oil plus more for brushing grill
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes
1 tsp kosher or coarse sea salt or more to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 C fresh mint, chopped
1/4 C fresh chives, chopped
2 T red wine vinegar

Directions:
1.    Pre-heat the grill to medium, or set a grill pan over medium heat. Once hot, brush with oil.
2.    Cook the corn for about 20 minutes, flipping with tongs every once in a while. Also, cook the scallions for about 10 minutes, flipping occasionally as well. Remove both from the heat when charred, cooked and softened. Set aside.
3.    Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until charred and softened. Remove from the heat, making sure to reserve the oil and tomato juices as well.
4.    Shave the corn kernels off the cobs and place in salad bowl. Cut white and light green parts of the scallions into 1-inch pieces and add to the bowl. Add the mint, chives, vinegar, and the reserved oil and juices from the tomatoes. Mix well. Incorporate the tomatoes. Gently toss and serve.

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Story:  
Hispanic Heritage Month started on September 15.  It honors the culture we call Hispanic, but what do we mean by the word?  When we hear "hispanic", we usually think "south of the US border", people who speak Spanish, immigrants from Central and South America.  Long before the Spanish brought language, Christianity, livestock, rice and wheat, corn (or maize) was one of the staple grains of the western hemisphere.  She/Corn was respected member of the family for native people like the Oneida and the Zapotecan in Mexico.

The recipe for "Grilled Corn Salad" pictured above from includes other flavors of the Western hemisphere like tomatoes, peppers, and onions once found in the wild.  Pati Jinich's recipe was inspired by a pre- Hispanic Zapotecan woman named Abigail Mendoza.  A cook, restaurateur and teacher,  Abigail describes how she “feels her ancestors present” when she cooks. 

Pati Jinich of "Pati's Mexican Table" on PBS interviewed Abigail on the episode called "Queen in the Land of Gods" on Amazon with ads) Learn more about this amazing cook who honors how her ancestors prepared food before the Spanish conquest.  

Interestingly,  Pati Jinich, now a famous Mexican cook and food historian, has an MA in Latin American Studies and is a former political analyst focused on US-Mexico relations at the Inter-American Dialogue.  She has made exploring and sharing Mexico's cuisine her life's work.

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Vicki Lopez-Kaley – I am an affiliate with FSPA and a member of the Eco Pact Team. For me the kitchen and garden are about slowing down and being creative. Sharing stories and connecting with others and the earth through food can bring great meaning and pleasure.

Isabel “Iggy” Bauer – I served as an AmeriCorps Service Member with FSPA. Sustainable food is one of my passions and I have a vision of bringing local food, gardens and green spaces to urban areas in support of human health and happiness.

The FSPA Eco Pact Team – We are a cooperative group of sisters, affiliates and partners in mission focused on making an impact on integral ecology through the lens of Laudato Si’. Since beginning our mission in the summer of 2021, Eco Pact has brought forward many changes, including initiating effective recycling practices at St. Rose Convent. Connect with us at ecopact@fspa.org.

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