Let’s play bingo!I have to say, despite summer’s relaxed reputation, this season has been anything but. Maybe you’re shuffling the kids to art camp or swim lessons, planning an unruly family reunion, or trying to manage a calendar of competing birthday parties (Leos, am I right?). But eventually, all that summer fun can start to feel like a chore, and the actual chores start to feel like punishment. I refuse to let cooking feel like more work. So we’re game-ifying dinner. You’ve heard of Wordle and Strands. Now allow me to introduce you to … Summer Veggie Bingo. Each week, for the next three weeks, I’m going to send you a little summer bingo card so we can all have a bit more fun with the season’s best produce. Save all the Corn Bingo recipes here:Roasted Corn and Tomato Pie | Spicy Corn and Coconut Soup | Cold Sesame Noodles With Cucumber, Corn and Basil | Charred Corn and Chickpea Salad With Lime Crema | Elotes | Halloumi With Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil | Corn and Miso Pasta Salad | Grilled Corn Panzanella | Fresh Corn Pancakes With Blueberry Sauce Cook your favorite row of three to eat especially well, cook all nine to show off (Leos, am I right?) or cook none at all and wait for the next card. Will it be eggplant? Or zucchini? There is but one way to find out. Our first card is sweet, sweet corn. I’ve got my eye on the vertical row on the right, starting with Hetty Lui McKinnon’s cold sesame noodles with cucumber, corn and basil to offset the July heat, that Stevie Wonder muse. You need only three ingredients for the nutty dressing: Chinese or Japanese sesame paste (or tahini), sesame oil and chile crisp. Mix those with a little water, and you’re already halfway to dinner.
Next I’m going with Melissa Clark’s halloumi with corn, tomatoes and basil. It was one of my most played songs of summer 2021; it’s long been time to put it back on the playlist. Melissa’s dish is teeming not only with fresh kernels, but also sweet cherry tomatoes for a supremely seasonal sauté. Lots of lime at the end, please. Then I’ll cross off my third recipe not at dinner, nor at lunch, but at a secret third meal — brunch! — with Lidey Heuck’s fresh corn pancakes with blueberry sauce. A little cornmeal lightens the batter and underscores the sweetness of in-season corn, which is amplified by the maple syrup-spiked compote. That’s bingo, baby. Are you going diagonal to hit those pancakes as well as Erin Jeanne McDowell’s roasted corn and tomato pie with Cheddar crust? That would be an inspired play. Or maybe Melissa’s elotes are a nonnegotiable, and your winning strategy runs through the middle. Whatever your game plan is, I’d like to see it. Show (or tell) me when you’ve got Corn Bingo! Email me at theveggie@nytimes.com, or tag us on Instagram: @tanyasic and, of course, @nytcooking. Thanks for reading, and play you next week! Email us at theveggie@nytimes.com. Newsletters will be archived here. Reach out to my colleagues at cookingcare@nytimes.com if you have questions about your account.
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