Serves:  8

Preparation:  25 minutes

Cooking Time:  30 minutes

Category:  Vegetarian

Plan:  Best freshly prepared, can be chilled and refrigerated for up to 3 days

Difficulty:  Easy

Course:  Starter or light meal

Cuisine:  English

Summer Corn Soup

Browsing through the Mail Online Summer Food recipe ideas by Anna Hodgkiss published 5th July 2024, I found this corn soup, whichis a little different from one already on this site.

With the garnishes, it incorporates all the fresh tastes of Summer.

Ingredients

• 2tbsp unsalted butter
• 6 large fresh corn cobs, husks discarded and kernels stripped, plus extra cooked kernels (optional), to serve
• 2 large leeks (white parts only), trimmed, halved and sliced
• 225g potatoes, diced
• 1 celery stick, trimmed and chopped
• 5 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 950ml chicken stock, made with 1 stock cube
• Cayenne pepper
• Salt and black pepper
• Juice of 1 lime

Garnish

• 200g fat-free natural Greek yoghurt
• 1 large tomato, diced
• A small handful of fresh chives, snipped
• A small handful of fresh basil, torn

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat.
   
   
2. Add the fresh corn kernels, leeks, potatoes, celery, thyme and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften.
   
   
3. Stir in the stock, 450ml water and cayenne pepper to taste, then season with salt and black pepper.
   
   
4. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
   
   
5. Remove the pan from the heat and, using a stick blender, blitz to a slightly chunky purée. If you prefer a smoother consistency, press the vegetable mixture through a fine mesh sieve before serving.
   
   
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle with the lime juice.
   
   
7. Season to taste and serve topped with the yoghurt, tomato, chives, basil and extra corn kernels, if using.