Sweet Corn and Vegetable Chowder

This recipe proves a belief of mine. When you cook with ingredients that sound good in your head, they will taste good, too.

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Photo courtesy of Minh + Wass

Preheat the oven to 450F. Place 2 ears of corn directly on the oven rack and roast, turning occasionally, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool, cut the roasted corn kernels off the cob. You should have about 1½ cups.

Meanwhile, cook the potato in salted boiling water until tender in the center when pierced, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and let cool to the touch. Slip off the skin and cut the potato into ¼-inch dice.

With a large, sharp knife, cut the kernels off the remaining ears of corn. Run the kernels through a vegetable juicer. You should have about 4 cups of juice. Combine the corn juice and the vanilla bean in a medium nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly so the liquid doesnt curdle. The natural starch in the juice will thicken it to a sauce consistency. The degree of thickness will depend on the amount of starch in the corn. If the soup is too thick, thin it with a little water or lemon juice. Remove from the heat.

Fish out the vanilla bean and, with the tip of a small knife, scrape the seeds from the bean into the soup; discard the pod. If the soup appears a little broken, dont worry. Blend the soup in a blender at medium speed for a silky-smooth consistency. Return the soup to the pot.

Put the roasted corn kernels, beans, and potato in a medium sauté pan or skillet with the water. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for a few minutes until the vegetables are hot. Pour off the water and add the vegetables to the soup. Stir in the shredded spinach or other greens, the lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

NOTE: IF THE CORN MILK CURDLES DURING COOKING, DONT WORRY, BEAT THE CURDLED MILK WITH AN ELECTRIC MIXER SET ON MEDIUM SPEED UNTIL IT RETURNS TO ITS PERFECT SMOOTHNESS BEFORE YOU ADD THE REST OF THE VEGETABLES.

Copyright © 2003 by Michel Nischan