Remember that sweet taste as you munched your way across a row of sweet corn? It was so good you wanted to inhale it, and felt you could eat ear after ear! That is the taste of the cob, not the corn itself. By adding these cobs to the pot, you can duplicate that taste.

Aside from some chopped shallots and garlic, just to round out the flavor and make it interesting, this soup is pure corn goodness. The bacon, tomatoes and avocado are merely garnish that add texture and a bit of bright taste at the finish. The soup is just as good without these.

 

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil

½ cup chopped shallots

2 cloves garlic, chopped

5 cups fresh corn, divided (from 6 large ears), 2 denuded cobs reserved

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock

½ cup half-and-half

3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced

½ cup diced cherry tomatoes

 

DIRECTIONS

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until tender, but not brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 4 cups of corn, the reserved corn cobs, 1 teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the corn cobs. Let the soup cool slightly, then puree in a high-powered blender (If using a regular blender or an immersion blender, let it run for an extra-long time to work through all the fibrous bits of corn. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the half-and-half. Taste and season, as needed, with salt and pepper.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining cup of corn and season with salt and pepper. Cook until bright yellow and just beginning to brown in spots, about 3 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the corn, bacon, avocado, and tomatoes

 

USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW

NEXT

Quick Tip:  To make short work of dicing (or slicing) an avocado, cut it in half and remove the seed. DO NOT remove the skin. Now take a paring knife and gently make cuts, down to the skin, both lengthwise and crosswise in whatever size you want your dice to be. DO NOT cut through the skin. After your cuts are made, take a spoon and gently run it under the flesh, scooping it out of the skin. Perfect dice (or slice) every time, with none of the mess of trying to handle a peeled avocado!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Lucy at turniptheoven.com