Corn Soup

Corn and Cauliflower Soup

Makes 10 servings. 

Creamy, light, and delicious, this is a soup that can be made any time of year and serves many.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 Vidalia onions

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1 small cauliflower, about 1½ pounds

  • ¼ teaspoon chili powder, optional

  • 1 pound frozen corn, thawed

  • One 13.5 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

  • 4 cups vegetable broth

  • 3 -4 tablespoons lime juice

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper 

  • Toasted sunflower seeds for garnish

PREPARATION:

Peel the onions and garlic and cut into large pieces.

Cut off and discard cauliflower stem. Cut the head into large pieces and rinse.    

In a large saucepan heat the olive oil, add onion, cauliflower, and chili powder. Sauté for a few minutes.

Add the corn, coconut milk and 3½ cups of broth. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook covered for about 25minutes. 

Puree the soup, in batches, in a Vitamix until very smooth.

Adjust the consistency with the reserved broth as needed and season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper.

NOTE:

This soup freezes very well. When reheating, whisk it as it boils to bring back the creamy consistency. 

 

 

Winter Corn Soup

Winter Corn Soup.jpg

Makes 8 servings.                                             

This soup has a silky, creamy consistency without the addition of cream, a beautiful pale yellow color and a touch of sweetness. The ingredients for the soup are readily available all year round.  The inspiration came from Mexican cuisine, which is rich in corn, lime, and cilantro. I am featuring a revised version of this soup, one of my favorites, because the advent of Vitamix makes this soup so easy to make. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

  • 5 cups chicken broth, approximately

  • 2 pounds frozen corn, thawed

  • 3 tablespoons lime juice, approx

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground white or black pepper

  • Cilantro petals for garnish

PREPARATION:

  1. In a medium saucepan heat the olive oil, add onions and garlic and sauté for a minute.

  2. Add 5 cups of broth and the corn.  Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 20 minutes.         

  3. Puree the soup, in batches, in a Vitamix until very smooth.

  4. Season to taste with lime juice, salt and pepper and adjust consistency with the reserved broth.

  5. Garnish with cilantro petals.

NOTE:

This soup freezes very well. When reheating whisk it as it boils to bring back the creamy consistency

 
 

Corn and Squash Soup

Corn Soup 2.jpg

Makes 6-8 servings.

The combination of summer corn and summer yellow squash makes for a wonderful, nutritious and golden colored soup.

I serve it warm or at room temperature.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 onion, coarsely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 4 ears corn plus 1 for garnish
  • 4 medium yellow squash, about 1½ pounds
  • 3 cups vegetable broth.
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, approx
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and sauté for a minute.
  2. Shuck the corn kernels, setting aside one of the ears for garnish.
  3. Rinse the squash and slice.
  4. Add the corn, zucchini and 2¼ cups of the broth to the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until tender.
  5. Puree the soup, in two batches, in a Vitamix until smooth and silky.
  6. Adjust the consistency with the reserved broth. Season with lime juice, salt and pepper.
 
 

Summer Corn Soup

Makes 8 servings.

I love to make this soup in the summer when fresh corn is available. It is wonderful either cold or at room temperature.  A slightly different version of this recipe first appeared in my cookbook, Helen Nash's New Kosher Cuisine.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 pounds ripe tomatoes

  • 1 small jalapeno pepper (See Note)

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 onion, peeled, coarsely chopped

  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled, coarsely chopped

  • 3 cups vegetable broth

  • Kernels cut from 5-6- ears of corn (about 2½ cups)

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, approx

  • Cilantro leaves for garnish

PREPARATION

  1. Rinse the tomatoes, remove the core, then cut them in half widthwise and squeeze gently to remove the seeds (some seeds will remain). Cut the tomatoes into pieces.

  2. Cut the jalapeno pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and cut into pieces.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and jalapeno pepper. Sauté over low heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion is soft.

  4. Add the tomatoes, 2½ cups of the broth and corn. Bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Cool a little.

  5. Purée the soup in the blender until very smooth. Strain the soup through a medium-mesh sieve, pushing the solids with the back of a ladle to obtain as much puree as possible. Be sure to scrape the underside of the sieve. Discard the pulp.

  6. Return the soup to the saucepan and adjust the consistency as needed with the remaining broth. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and lime juice.

  7. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

Note

When seeding jalapeno peppers, I advise wearing thin, plastic gloves to avoid irritating your skin or your eyes.

This soup freezes very well.  When reheating, whisk it as it begins to boil to bring back the creamy texture.

If you’re using a Vitamix, you do not need to strain the soup through a sieve.