Compiled and photographed by Kristen Browning-Blas
Summer Sweet Corn Soup
From “Fresh Every Day,” by Sara Foster, serves 6 to 8 (makes about 2 quarts). The corn broth (page 4D) gives a deep, clean, flavor to the soup. But chicken or vegetable stock works, too.
Ingredients
5 ears sweet corn, shucked, kernels cut off the cob, corncobs reserved
1/2 cup (or more as needed) milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped, trimmings reserved
2 celery stalks, chopped, trimmings reserved (trimmings from this recipe will be used for the Corn Broth recipe on Page 4D.)
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and chopped
4-5 cups Corn Broth (see Page 4D) or chicken or vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips, stems reserved
Additional salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Place corn kernels and milk in a medium saucepan, and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes.
In a separate pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring often, until the onion is very soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the celery, and cook, stirring often, 4-5 minutes longer, to soften. Stir in garlic, and saute for 1 minute longer, being careful not to let the garlic brown.
Add potato, 4 cups broth, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are soft. Stir in the corn-milk mixture and half of the basil. Cool slightly.
Ladle half the soup into the bowl of a food processor or the jar of a blender fitted with a metal blade, and process until smooth, or use an immersion blender making sure to stop blending before the soup is pureed. Some vegetables should remain slightly chunky.
Add the pureed soup back to the pot, and stir to mix. If the soup is too thick, thin with more broth or milk. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm or chilled, garnished with the remaining basil.
Chilled Avocado-Tomatillo Soup
Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison discovered this refreshing soup in Monterrey, Mexico. Serve in small glass cups or bowls as an appetizer, or make it a main dish with poached crab or grilled shrimp. To roast chiles and tomatillos, place on medium-high grill or broiler, and watch closely, turning so all sides blister. Place in a paper bag to steam off skins. Once cool, slip off skins and remove seeds (use gloves if the chiles are at all spicy hot). Adapted from the Jamisons’ “The Border Cookbook,” serves 4.
Ingredients
3 mild green chiles, roasted, peeled and chopped
10-12 tomatillos, husked, roasted and chopped
2 ripe avocados, chopped
1 teaspoon salt, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced (roasted if you want a milder flavor)
Generous grinding of black pepper
3 cups chilled chicken stock, skimmed of any fat
1-2 tablespoons Mexican crema, crème fraîche or sour cream
Juice of 1 lime
GARNISH
Slivered radishes, minced green onions, lime wedges and chopped cilantro
Directions
In a blender, combine all ingredients except lime juice, and puree until smooth. Taste, adjust salt and pepper, and add enough lime juice to heighten the soup’s fresh citrus flavor without making it sour.
The soup is ready to serve but can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour without losing its sprightly green color. Garnish with radishes, green onions and cilantro, and lime on the side.
Corn Broth
Use the trimmings from the Summer Sweet Corn Soup (Page 1D) for this broth. Adapted from “Fresh Every Day” by Sara Foster, makes 12-15 cups.
Ingredients
5 stripped corn cobs
1 bay leaf
Trimmings from 1 onion and 2 stalks celery, with leaves
16 saved basil stems
4 quarts water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
Place corncobs in a large saucepan with bay leaf, onion, celery and basil stems. Cover with 4 quarts water and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, add salt and pepper. Simmer up to 1 hour. Strain broth into a bowl and discard solids.
