The other day, my husband brought home the saddest ears of corn you have ever seen. They were so thin, and when I pulled back the husks, the kernels were all shriveled and pale. It was basically all leaves. What to do? Make soup!
I took all the kernels off and put the cobs into a pot with just enough water to boil. The whole house smelled like the most delicious sweet corn! There is so much flavor in the cobs alone.
Corn soup with red peppers is a pretty classic combination. I did not make this up by any means. There are lots and lots of recipes for this online. Usually they call for starting with butter, cooking with chicken broth, finishing with cream. All delicious, but totally unnecessary. Make it vegan and let that sweet corn shine!
The swirl is super simple but looks so fancy (and I love putting hearts in my husband's food). It's optional, but it does add a smokey piquancy that I promise you don't want to miss out on.
RED PEPPER SWIRL
🌽 1 sweet bell pepper
🌽 A sprinkle of paprika
CORN SOUP
🌽 3-4 Ears of corn (or use frozen: approximately 3 cups of corn)
🌽 1/2 Sweet onion
🌽 1/4 cup Fresh celery
SEASONING
🌽 Smart Seasoning*
Start with the red pepper swirl, if you're making it. Drizzle olive oil over a whole pepper. Stick it in a searing hot oven (around 400 will do). Check on it every so often. Around 30 minutes, it should be roasted through: soft, and the skin pulls off easily. Take all the skin off, and puree the pepper with salt and paprika to taste. It should be slightly smokey and a teeny bit tart.
Take the kernels off the corn cobs. Put the corn cobs in a large pot with just enough water to cover. Don't use too much water! Start with three cups. Bring to a boil. Add the corn kernels. Lower the heat and cook until it smells heavenly. Remove the cobs, and pour the kernels and corn broth into a blender.
In the now empty pot, sauté chopped onion and celery in a little olive oil. Once soft, put into the blender with the corn mixture. Blend until super smooth. Season to taste.
*I do use Smart Seasoning here. It's a salt, but it has turmeric in it, which is so good for you and also adds a bright yellow which really enhances the sunniness of the soup. You could just use salt and a pinch of turmeric.
If you find your soup too thick, add more water, or milk/cream/broth as you like. I think coconut milk could work really well here. The end result should be a creamy consistency.
Now garnish with your red pepper swirl, and maybe a pinch of thinly sliced green onions, and finish with a little more Smart Seasoning.
This soup is equally good served hot or cold. If you're planning to serve it cold, remember to over season it a little. Everything tastes a bit blander when cold. Enjoy!
PS: If your blender is not the best, you may want to sieve your soup to make sure it's super creamy. There may be corn fibers that your blender can't catch.