An Improvisation: Corn Poblano Relish

I love those shows where chefs are given a basket of secret ingredients and they have to come up with something delicious. Now I don't care much for the ones where the set-up is to give them really random, seemingly unpairable things. ("Contestants, please make a main course out of sardines, blueberry jam and saffron.") Just the shows that make them (and us) think about how to put things together in interesting ways.

I've realized I do the same thing in my kitchen a lot of the time. Sure I test and try new recipes quite often, but sometimes I just challenge myself to use what's in the freezer/pantry/fridge and make a meal. The other night was a perfect example. I realized I had a veritable cornucopia of summer produce sitting on my counter...ready to spoil if I didn't get creative.

Corn. Tomatoes. Poblano peppers. Ready...set...cook.

Piece of cake. (No worries...I didn't make dessert.)

I decided that the protein star to be supported by this cast of characters was tilapia. So I pulled a couple fillets out of the freezer and let them thaw. Meanwhile, I stripped the corn from the cob and roughly chopped the tomatoes and peppers. Got some olive oil heating in a sauté pan. Threw in a little chopped onion (or shallot...I don't remember). Just as it got nice and sweaty, I added the corn and the peppers. Stirred them occasionally over medium-high heat until they started to brown a bit. (I love corn when it gets that wonderful caramelized look and taste.)

It was time for seasoning, so I added a pinch of garlic pepper (my secret ingredient in almost everything I cook) and some red pepper flakes for some added kick. (No salt yet...I always do that at the very end.) Threw in the tomatoes and stirred gently so they wouldn't get soupy. When just heated though, voila. A wonderfully flavorful chunky relish for our simply baked tilapia.

And that's just the theme. There are countless variations. Red bell pepper instead of poblano. Diced zucchini instead of (or in addition to) the corn. Maybe basil or Italian herb seasoning. You get the picture. Hit the comments section below with your twists on this idea. Let's all learn from each other.