Creamy Summer Garden Soup
Silver queen corn, tomatoes, okra and fresh basil are the tastes of summer in the South. The juice flying across the kitchen when you cut those white kernels off and scrape the cobs. Whether its corn pudding, garnishing your tomato salad, accompanying your fresh fish, or simmered into soup, it’s delicious. It’s the base for this creamy soup, elevated with lots of southern goodness from the garden. This is my friend, who lives in Arizona, Brad’s original corn soup recipe, which he tops with roasted pumpkin seeds and pancetta. I love how he uses the cobs to “add to the depth of corn flavor”. I’ve given it a hearty southern flare. Remember, the quality of your corn matters and will determine the freshness and flavor of your soup.
Creamy Summer Garden Soup
Ingredients
- 64 oz chicken stock
- 6-8 ears of silver queen corn – cut corn from the cob, scrape, and reserve the cobs to flavor the soup
- 2 large shallots – diced
- 3 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/2 can coconut cream (shake well)
- creamer potatoes – unpeeled and quartered
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- S&P to taste
- Bacon – cooked and crumbled for garnish
- Crispy fried okra – garnish
- Tomatoes – blanched, peeled and sliced – garnish
- Basil – chopped fresh
Fry bacon for garnish.
In a large pot, or dutch oven, sauté garlic and shallots in olive oil.
Add chicken stock, thyme, bay leaves, corn, and cobs. Simmer at least 30 minutes.
Remove and discard the cobs, thyme and bay leaves.
In batches, process the soup in a blender and strain through a chinois or fine mesh sieve and pour back into the pot or dutch oven. Add quartered potatoes and unsweet coconut cream and cook until the potatoes are done (knife will insert without resistance).
Top with tomatoes, crispy fried okra, bacon and basil.
Crispy Fried Okra
Ingredients
- Fresh okra – roughly 4 cups chopped
- Buttermilk – 4 tbs
- Corn Meal -1 1/2 cups
- 2 Tbs tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- Peanut oil
- salt
Choose okra that is smaller in size, as the larger ones tend to be tough.
Cut the stems off and slice ( leave the smallest ones whole).
Place the sliced okra in a bowl and spoon on buttermilk. Gently fold/stir to coat.
Place cornmeal, tapioca flour, baking powder and salt in a large freezer bag, and add the coated okra. Shake around to coat (you can freeze at this point if you have a surplus).
Heat peanut oil (350 degrees), watching it to start moving around the pan. Add the okra to the hot oil in a single layer (leaving excess cornmeal in the bag) and fry until golden. Resist the urge to move the okra until it is golden on the bottom, then you can turn it until golden on the other side.
Remove with a slotted spoon onto paper bags or paper towels and salt generously.
If you put this out before dinner is served, beware of stealthy fingers sneaking handfuls with every kitchen passing while your back is turned. Speaking of while your back is turned… Never walk away from hot oil on the range and never put a lid on heating/hot grease.
