Corn-Miso Soup
What did the baby corn say to the mama corn?
A: Where’s the pop corn?
I may not recommend you say this corny joke, but I do recommend you trying this hearty soup.
A teacher in my culinary school would always say when following a recipe, one must “read in between the lines and then assess the correct way of going about the recipe.” Lucky for me, I already do that. Whenever I read a recipe, I decide how to tweak it to be my own. She also clarified that sometimes recipe techniques don’t make sense and we need to use our best judgment and knowledge to fix those problems.
For example, in the original recipe for this corn soup (below), it says to sauté the garlic first and then add to the pot of onions and jalapenos. This is actually incorrect because if we were to sauté the garlic first, it can easily burn which in turn creates a very bitter flavor. We certainly don’t want our sweet corn soup to taste bitter. I tweaked the recipe by reversing the order of the onions and garlic. It takes a lot longer to sauté onions than garlic.
When roasting the corn for the guacamole, you want the corn to caramelize and get crunchy because the kernel will only get sweeter.
The jalapenos give a little kick, the salsa is tart from the lime, and the avocado and roasted corn add some sweetness. This soup is beautiful, delicious, and can serve as an appetizer or entree!
Corn-Miso Soup with Roasted Corn Guacamole
Adapted From: Simply Mexican – Lourdes Castro
Makes 8-10 Servings
Guacamole:
4 C. Corn Kernels, defrosted or fresh
2 TBS. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 TBS. Red Onion, minced
4 TBS. Fresh Cilantro, minced
2 Limes, juiced
1 1/2 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded, minced
2 Avocados, small dice
Preheat oven to 450. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss corn with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread corn out evenly on the baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, until golden brown.
When cool, combine the corn with the rest of the ingredients. Adjust Salt and pepper to taste.
Soup:
7 C. Corn Kernels, defrosted or fresh
3 TBS. Olive Oil
1 Garlic Cloves, crushed
1 Red Onion, small dice
2 jalapeno’s, stemmed and seeded, small dice
Salt and Pepper
3TBS. Miso Paste
3-4 Cups Chicken or Vegetable Broth (depending on the thickness of the soup)
(Optional) Fresh Cilantro, garnish
(Optional) Truffle Oil, garnish
(Optional) Pitas, cut into 1/6ths and toasted
Heat olive oil in soup pot and sauté the red onion and jalapenos till red onion becomes translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Add in the corn kernel and 1 cup of the vegetable broth. Use an immersion blender to make the soup smooth and creamy, adding in a cup of broth at time till the soup becomes the desired consistency. Simmer on low, covered, for 15 minutes.
Ladles soup into bowls. Place a generous spoonful of guacamole in the center of each bowl. Garnish with pita chip, cilantro and truffle oil.
This soup can be served hot or cold
