Most Requested Recipe: Sweet Corn Soup

This soup is one of the recipes that our customers request the most

Sweet Corn Soup

We've been serving this soup for lunch all summer long, and despite the record high heat we almost can’t seem to make enough to supply the demand. It's a really good way to eat corn, other than grilling it and serving it on the cob or sautéing the kernels in succotash. We add jalapeño and cilantro because they're very friendly with corn even if this move takes the soup to a Tex-Mex kind of place, plus it's exactly what you need to compensate for the sweetness of the corn. Gloria from Tamai Farms gets all the credit for supplying the corn that has made this soup and other corn dishes possible at Cooks County this summer.   

Serves 8

Ingredients 

8 ears of white corn, shucked


¼ cup olive oil


3 medium size leeks, washed and sliced in ¼-inch rounds


1 yellow onion, medium diced


2 celery ribs, medium diced


1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves



1 jalapeño, roasted in a preheated 400ºF oven for 10 minutes


½ cup cilantro, chopped, including stems, plus a few extra leaves for garnish


1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon of kosher salt


1 avocado, diced and season with kosher salt (optional)

Directions

Carefully cut the corn off of the cobs by holding it straight on a cutting board while you shave off the kernels with a knife. Reserve the corn.

Place the cobs in a large non-reactive pot, cover with 12 cups of water and bring up to a boil at high heat. Reduce temperature to medium and let simmer for 45 minutes. Then strain the liquid into a large container using a colander. You should end up with about 8 cups of corn stock. Discard the cobs.

Heat up a separate pot, add the oil and sweat the leeks, onion and celery with the thyme until soft. Add the reserved corn, cilantro and jalapeño (remove the stem but leave the seeds). Stir to combine, and sauté briefly until the corn is a bit tender, about 5 minutes. Pour over the reserved corn stock. Season with the salt, add the bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and carefully purée the soup in a high-speed blender. Keep in mind that you may have to work in batches. For a silkier soup, strain through a fine mesh strainer, although we do not.

Place the puréed soup back in the pot. Check the consistency; if the soup seems too thick, add a cup or two of water to thin it out. Finally, taste and add additional kosher salt if necessary. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves. If you wish, top each bowl with a few dices of avocado. Enjoy!

Daniel Mattern, Chef/Owner