Summertime and the livin’ is easy…and the corn is sweet and bountiful.  As residents of New Jersey, we are blessed with some of the best corn in the country. New Jersey’s sweet corn is one of the reasons for its well-deserved “Garden State” moniker. Sweet corn is in season from May to September.  While the first ear of corn heralds the arrival of summer, sweet corn peaks in high summer.

We are fortunate to have access to freshly picked sweet corn at our local supermarkets, at farmer’s markets and at roadside stands.  While sweet corn is delicious on its own, husked and briefly boiled or grilled, it is quite versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes—such as soups, salads, salsas, and breads—just to name a few.

Sweet corn soup is one of my favorite summer soups.  It is especially refreshing served chilled on a sultry summer’s eve.  I like to serve sweet corn soup with slices of crusty French or Italian bread. Or, in keeping with the corn theme, I like to accompany the soup with the corn sticks shown in the photo.  For my corn sticks recipe, or for some other ideas for sweet corn recipes, such as black bean, corn and avocado salsa, email me at puppy513@aol.com.  Enjoy the glories of summer!

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
  • corn kernels scraped from 4 ears of corn, scraped cobs reserved
  • 6 sprigs parsley, tied with kitchen string
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ½ to 1 cup coconut milk,* optional

Heat the canola oil in a large soup pot.  Saute the onion, carrot, celery and garlic in the oil on medium heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the vegetables are softened.  Stir the vegetables frequently to make sure they don’t brown.

Sprinkle the garlic powder, basil and thyme on the vegetables and cook for a minute or two to release their flavors.

Add the 6 cups of vegetable or chicken stock, potatoes, corn kernels, scraped cobs, parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the parsley and the scraped cobs from the soup pot.

Pour the vegetables and stock into a large strainer placed over a large bowl.

Strain the vegetables, reserving the stock.  Place the vegetables into a food processor.  Puree the vegetables, adding several ladles of the stock to thin the puree into a soup consistency.  You may have to do this in two or three batches.

Place the corn soup back into the soup pot.  For a more creamy consistency, whisk in ½ to 1 cup of coconut milk.

If the soup consistency becomes too thick, you can always add some extra stock or coconut milk.

This soup is delicious served hot or cold.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

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