By Construction is ramping up. The pandemic slowdown created a backlog and now every builder in Lexington wants their houses finished yesterday. Three sites, three crews, and me driving between them in a truck that smells like sawdust and hand sanitizer. The senior foreman title means more money and more headaches and the ratio is approximately equal, which means I'm breaking even on the stress-to-compensation scale. But the work is good. The work is always good. Building something that someone will live in is the only kind of work I know that leaves evidence of your existence that outlasts you.
Clay went to the VA this week for his monthly check-in. Dr. Rivera, his outpatient therapist, said he's "making progress." Progress. The clinical word for what I see in the kitchen: hands that are steadier, eyes that are brighter, a voice that has regained some of its texture, like a painting that was gray and is slowly getting its color back. The progress is real. The progress is soup beans at ninety percent and biscuits at eighty-five and a man who sleeps through the night more often than not and who hasn't had a drink since December and who makes jokes about the VA cafeteria instead of staring at the wall.
This Saturday's lesson: fried corn. The summer corn is starting at the farmers market — not the Kentucky corn, which won't be in until July, but the early stuff from Tennessee that's good enough for practice. I showed Clay the technique: cut the kernels, scrape the cob for the milk, bacon grease and butter in the skillet, twenty minutes over medium heat. He did it. He scraped the cob with the knife turned sideways, the way Betty does, the way I do, and the milk ran down the cutting board and into the bowl and he said "This is the secret, right? The milk?" I said "That's the secret." The secret that Betty never called a secret because it wasn't hidden — it was just overlooked by people who didn't know to look. The corn milk. The starchy, sweet liquid that makes fried corn fried corn instead of just corn in a pan. Clay knows now. The secret has been passed.
After we finished the fried corn and Clay scraped the last of the milk into the bowl, we still had half a farmers market haul sitting on the counter—peppers and zucchini that needed to be dealt with before the week got away from us. The same principle that makes fried corn what it is applies here: don’t complicate it, don’t drown it, just give the vegetable heat and a little fat and let it tell you when it’s done. This recipe is what we threw together that same Saturday, and it’s become as much a part of our summer rotation as the corn itself.
Grilled Peppers and Zucchini
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 25 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch planks
- 2 large bell peppers (any color), seeded and quartered
- 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (about 400°F). If using a grill pan on the stovetop, heat over medium-high heat and lightly oil the surface.
- Season the vegetables. In a large bowl, combine the zucchini planks, pepper quarters, and onion rounds. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper, then toss again until every piece is coated.
- Grill in batches. Lay the vegetables in a single layer on the grill grates. Cook zucchini and peppers for 4–5 minutes per side until grill marks appear and the edges soften. Cook onion rounds 5–6 minutes per side. Do not crowd the grates—work in batches if needed.
- Rest and finish. Transfer grilled vegetables to a platter as they finish. Drizzle with fresh lemon juice while still hot so the acid soaks in. Scatter the chopped parsley over the top.
- Serve. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside grilled meats, over rice, or as a standalone summer side. Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 3 days and are excellent in wraps or on top of eggs.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 115 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Carbs: 10g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 245mg