Summer Garden & Leftover Corn Chowder

It's Real and It's Spectacular

The final product. Photo courtesy of Kathy Marchione.

I opened the fridge door around lunch time today, and noticed that two ears of sweet corn, leftover from earlier in the week, still lay there on the shelf undisturbed. My mind quickly processed the options: (1) Ignore them, and likely consign them to a trip to the pre-compost kitchen waste bin in a few days, or (2) microwave them, and then probably eat them bachelor-style over the sink, or (3) seize the beautiful pre-fall Saturday, toss aspirations of productivity to the wind, and get the culinary gears in motion. I chose Door #3. And my stomach is applauding. This is a quick & easy soup for gardeners with leftovers.

All corn chowders tend to be great. This is a summery and slightly lighter version that omits the bacon and potatoes that you often see in corn chowder recipes. Instead, it includes summer squash (always available in gardeners’ kitchens this time of year), leftover tomato salad (a staple in this particular gardener’s fridge this time of year), and lime juice. The result is a more tangy, almost edgy introduction to the tongue, in contrast to more wintry cream soups. Pair it with a sparkling rosé.

My version from today also featured a healthy dose of black pepper — an homage to my father, who was the king of Saturday Leftover Soup, in spirit if not the results. His weekend soups always involved a blender and enough black pepper to qualify as a DOT regulated substance, if it had required transport. And it generally ended up a putrid green. So, while I can’t say I liked his soup, I am my father’s son when it comes to thoughts of soup on a Saturday afternoon.

Today’s improvisational Saturday Soup requires:

• 2 pre-cooked, leftover ears of local sweet corn

• Half a sweet onion, medium dice

• Clove of garlic, minced

• About a cup of summer squash (in lieu of potato), medium dice

• 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (olive oil is fine too)

• A cup of leftover tomato salad

• One chicken bouillon cube

• Milk, water and, if available, a few tablespoons of heavy cream

• Tablespoon of lime juice

• A couple sprigs of basil and parsley, minced

• Salt & black pepper to taste

• A dozen or so seasoned salad croutons

Directions

1. Break the corn cobs in half, slice off & rough chop the kernels, and reserve the cobs for later.

2. Sweat the onion, corn kernels, garlic and zucchini in a saucepan with the bacon fat and/or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Turn up the heat and stir frequently until the onions soften and the corn begins to sear. You want some of that “street corn” flavor to develop.

3. Add the bouillon cube, enough milk to not quite cover the contents, and the heavy cream if you have some. Stir occasionally and let it cook for a few minutes.

4. Add some water to create the desired thickness. Then add the corn cobs and let it simmer for about ten minutes.

5. Remove and discard the corn cobs.

6. Add the minced herbs, tomato salad and lime juice. Cook for another five minutes. Then taste and adjust salt and pepper.

7. Remove about a third to half of the contents of the pot and blend smooth in a blender. Then pour back into the pot and mix. You could use an immersion blender instead, but, for this recipe, I like to leave some of the vegetables in their chopped state, with the fully blended part adding a creamy texture. If you use the blender method, be extremely careful, as you are dealing with very hot liquids.

8. Let the soup simmer for a few more minutes. Ladle into bowls and add some croutons to each bowl.