Giada's Corn and Tomato Soup with Basil: Summer in a Bowl for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

Back to a warm summer soup this Sunday--Giada's Corn and Tomato Soup which with the sweet corn and fresh tomatoes and basil, is a bit of summer in a bowl. 

I saw this one on Food Network and as I often do, I took a look at the reviews, which were mixed, before making it. Some liked it, some didn't, and some marked the recipe low because they didn't like how Giada chewed in the episode the recipe was shown. (Heaves a big sigh...) I take other reviews and comments with a grain of salt because sometimes people scare me--especially when they change every single thing about the recipe (but don't do it well) and then complain about it not tasting like it should. That being said, when I first looked at this one, I thought to myself that it would need a little somethin-somethin to give it more flavor and lack of strong flavor turned out to be the main complaint of those who didn't like it as much.  

Since I like bigger flavors, I did add to Giada's base. I also ended up using more corn and cooking it longer to build flavor and pureeing only 2/3 of it to have a lighter texture and chunks of sweet corn in the soup. To me, biting into those sweet morsels is a big part of summer. The recipe with my changes below. To see the original, follow the link below.

Corn and Tomato Soup 
Slightly Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis via Food Network.com
(Serves 4)

2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, coarsely chopped
1 tsp kosher salt, or salt to taste
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper, or to taste 
(I added 2 chopped green onions)
(I added 2 garlic cloves, crushed)
(I added 1 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper-or cayenne)
1 lb, about 3 1/4 cups corn-fresh or frozen (thawed) (I used about 6 cups fresh & frozen)
3 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (I used veggie stock)
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (I used 3 Roma tomatoes)
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used 1/2 cup)

In a large  saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, salt and pepper and cook until just soft--about 3 minutes, stirring as needed. Add the green onions, garlic, dried basil, smoked paprika and Aleppo or cayenne and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes--until fragrant.

Add the corn and stock and bring to a boil, cooking about 15 minutes. Blend all or part of the soup in a blender (I blended about half) and return to pot. Stir in tomatoes and basil and season to taste.

Ladle into bowls and serve.

Notes/Results: Creamy, sweet sand savory and great flavor, I really enjoyed this soup. With the changes I made, it worked for me--a little heat and extra basil flavor, the garlic--it gave the flavor a boost but didn't overpower the corn and tomatoes. I think the recipe started with good bones and just needed a bit of tweaking to make it hit the profile I was looking for. Fast to make, summery, filling, and satisfying, I would happily make it again. 

I'm linking up with I Heart Cooking Clubs where it's our Monthly Featured Ingredient / Dish Challenge: Corn. Corn recipes from our current featured chef or past featured IHCC chefs.

Here are five of my other favorite corn recipes from our IHCC chefs:

Jacques Pépin's Corn and Hominy Chowder:

Giada's Pizza Popcorn:

  
Rick Bayless's Zucchini with Roasted Peppers, Corn and (Cashew) Cream

 
Nigel Slater's Quick Fish and Corn Chowder:

 Rick Bayless's Creamy Corn Soup with Vegetables and Poblano Chile

Now let's look into the Souper Sundays kitchen and see who is here.

Judee of Gluten Free A-Z Blog brought Instant Pot Broccoli Soup--Creamy or Not and said, "This flavorful plant based broccoli soup is very appealing. It's light and creamy and goes well with a variety of toppings. The creaminess comes from the vegetables when it's blended, not milk or cream. ... I sometimes make this recipe creamy, but personally when it's just for me- I like my soups broth-y rather than creamy, so I do not always blend my soup. Yes, the broccoli will be very soft because it well cooked in the Instant Pot but the flavor that it imparts in the soup is truly amazing."

 
Tina of Squirrel Head Manor is declaring the Shrimp Tacos she enjoyed on a recent Florida day trip a sandwich. We (OK it's only me) ;-) at Souper Sundays say that if it is filling wrapped or enclosed somehow, it makes it a sandwich to us. Tina says, "I tried the shrimp tacos. Wow, they are very filling and I would certainly get them again. The standard order includes two tacos but you could order a third taco for a small price. Two was plenty for me. Served with Greek potatoes."

Mahalo to Judee and Tina for joining me this week! 

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About Souper Sundays:

Souper Sundays (going since 2008) now has a format of a picture link each week where anyone interested can post their soups, salads, or sandwiches at any time during the week and I post a recap of the entries the following week.

(If you aren't familiar with Souper Sundays, you can read about of the origins of it here. 

If you would like to join in Souper (Soup, Salad, and Sammie) Sundays, I would love to have you! Here's how...

To join in this week's Souper Sunday's linkup with your soup, salad or sandwich:

• Link up your soup (stew, chili, soupy curries, etc. are fine), salad, or sandwich dish, (preferably one from the current week or month--but we'll take older posts too) on the picture link below and leave a comment on this post so I am sure not to miss you. Also please see below for what to do on your blog post that you link up her in order to be included in the weekly round-up.

and 

On your entry post (on your blog):

• Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and link back to this post. (Not to be a pain but it's polite and only fair to link back to events you link up at--so if you link a post up here without linking back to it on your post, it will be removed.)
• You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (optional).

An InLinkz Link-up

Have a happy, healthy week!