Soup Recipe
The monthly seniors' lunch of soup and sandwiches was a great opportunity to socialize and to show seniors how much we appreciate them. Until that is possible again, we are looking for soup recipes to share!
Cold Corn Soup for a Hot Summer's Day
Submitted by Elisabeth Duckworth
Corn Stock: 8 ears fresh Norfolk yellow corn (or 10 cups frozen corn); 3 litres water
Corn Soup: 7 Tbsp unsalted butter; 2 garlic cloves, minced; ½ onion, finely sliced; 1 celery stalk, finely chopped; 1 leek, sliced, white part only (or substitute another ½ onion); 1 tsp salt; 1 cup whipping cream
Herb-Spice Bag: 2 sprigs of thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp black peppercorns, 1 tsp coriander seeds
Optional Garnish; extra corn kernels; ¼ cup green onion, sliced
Cut off kernels: Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Transfer to a bowl & set aside.
Corn stock: Cut the cobs in half. Place in a large pot with the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain – it should be 2 litres. If it's much more, simmer to reduce. If less, top up with water. (If you're using frozen corn, skip this step and use 2 L pre-made vegetable or chicken stock.)
Spice bag: Place the bay leaf, thyme, black peppercorns, and coriander seeds loosely in a small piece of cheesecloth to create a small bag. Tie with cooking twine to secure. (I use large tea balls reserved just for herbs & spices.)
Sauté aromatics: Melt butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, leek, and garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes until soft.
Cook corn: Add reserved corn kernels and cook 6-7 minutes.
Simmer: Add the corn stock and spice bag. Bring to a boil; let simmer 20 minutes.
Cream: Add the cream and cook for 3 minutes.
Blend: Remove the spice bag. Blend the soup in batches in a blender on high speed until smooth, or use a submersible hand blender. (CAUTION! Hot liquid + tightly sealed blender lid = soup explosion! To avoid this, either cool before blending OR remove the lid of the feeding tube in the blender lid. Cover the exposed hole with a folded tea towel as you blend the hot liquid.)
Strain: Pour the blended soup through a fine sieve to remove any remaining coarse bits (optional).
Adjust salt: Taste and add more salt if needed.
Chill and server: Cool, then transfer to the fridge to chill completely. This soup is meant to be served chilled or cool, but it's also great at room temperature or warm.
How to serve: In bowls with thick slices of buttered, crusty bread. Garnish with the reserved corn and green onion slices.
