Roasted Sweet Corn Soup

Roasted Sweet Corn Soup

I love fresh sweet corn. Whether it’s steamed on the cob, creamed, roasted, or baked into corn cake, it’s just darn good. Hey, I grew up in Indiana. We lived and partied in cornfields. Therefore it’s kind of a prerequisite! My father grows the best sweet corn I’ve ever tasted. I dream about it. I even bring it back to San Diego whenever I can.

Sweet corn is best fresh and cooked within a day or two of picking. Each kernel should burst into a sweet and juicy flavor shot in your mouth when you bite it. When roasted, this delectable vegetable takes on a smoky rich flavor.

This roasted corn soup is accented by leeks and roasted pimento peppers for a tangy sumptuousness. Serve it with some crusty bread to soak up all the flavor or with a sweet corn muffin to balance out the smoky essence. Make it vegetarian by swapping out vegetable broth for chicken broth and make it vegan by also swapping out olive oil for the butter.

Ingredients:

• 4 ears of fresh sweet corn
• 2 fresh pimento peppers (or 1/2 red bell pepper)
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1tsp light butter
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp Kosher salt
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Turn outside grill or inside grill top to medium heat. Lightly spray husked ears of corn with cooking spray. Place corn and pimento peppers on grill and cook, turning every 5-6 minutes until all sides are lightly browned. Remove from grill and let sit to cool.

Melt butter in a skillet on medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently until soft. Combine the leeks with 1 cup of the chicken broth in a blender. Puree on high until smooth.

With a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob into a bowl. Make sure to get every bit of the kernels without cutting into the cob! Remove the stems from the pimentos and finely chop the peppers.

Combine the corn, peppers, leek mixture, remaining broth, salt, pepper and smoked paprika in a large pot. Simmer on low until heated through. Serve immediately.

Servings: 6      Serving Size: 1 cup

Calories: 67                 Fat: 1.4g          Sat. Fat: .3g     Carbs: 13.4g

Sodium: 170.7mg        Fiber: 2.6g       Sugar: 2.4g      Protein: 2.9g