Roasted Corn Soup with Crispy Okra

Southwestern corn soup

Category
Soup
Cuisine
American
Serves
4
Time
45 minutes
From
Bobby Flay

cornsoupokra

This is a soup you only want to make at the peak of corn season, when the corn is super sweet and tender and it's so abundant they're practically giving it away at the local farmers' market. Okra is one of those vegetables that has a tenuous reputation-but even if you think you're not a fan, I promise you'll love it here. The fried sliced wheels of okra crusted with cornmeal act like crunchy croutons on top of this soup.

Adapted from Bobby Flay: Chapter One

Ingredients

Chipotle Crema

  • ½ cup crème fraîche
  • 2 teaspoons pureed chipotle in adobo
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Corn Stock

  • 12 large ears of corn, cut in half crosswise
  • 1 small Spanish onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
  • 1 bay leaf

Corn Soup

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 6 cloves of Roasted Garlic (page 303)
  • ¾ cup dry white wine
  • 1 tablespoon sugar, plus more if needed
  • ¼ cup crème fraîche

Crispy Okra (oops, need to add)

  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  1. Make the chipotle crema: In a small bowl, stir to combine the crème fraîche and chipotle puree. Season with salt and pepper. This can be made up to a week in advance and stored refrigerated in an airtight container.
  2. Make the corn stock: Cut the kernels from the corncobs and reserve them for the soup (you will need 6 cups corn kernels). Place the cobs in a large stockpot and add the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf, and 2 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain the stock into a medium saucepan, discarding the solids. Bring the stock to a boil and cook until it has reduced to about 5 cups, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
  3. Make the corn soup: Set an oven rack in the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  4. Place the reserved 6 cups corn kernels on a baking sheet, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast the corn until lightly golden brown, stirring a few times, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
  5. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining

1 tablespoon olive oil and the butter over medium-high heat. Add the roasted garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Add the corn kernels and sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the corn stock, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  1. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the solids to a blender, add 2 cups of the cooking liquid, and blend until smooth. If the soup is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid, ¼ cup at a time. Strain the soup into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Taste for sweetness and add a few extra teaspoons of sugar if needed. Whisk in the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper.

  1. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the crispy okra, the chives, and the chipotle crema.

Notes

  • I missed the recipe for the okra, but I imagine you just coat in flour, egg, cornmeal and fry