Ideally this soup would be made with fresh corn off the cob but I am impatient and the grocery store corn just wasn't looking that good. Still wanting to make the soup, I used frozen corn but took the extra step of thawing it out, patting it dry, and cooking it in a pan over high heat to give it a bit of a char. I did the same with a can of hominy. The result gave the corn and chowder a slight smokiness and I ended up with a soup full of flavor.
Mexican Street Corn & New Potato Chowder
By Deb, Kahakai Kitchen
(Makes 6 to 8 Servings)
About 4 cups frozen corn (thawed & well drained) or equivalent fresh corn still on the cob
1 (28 oz) can hominy, rinsed and well drained
2 Tbsp butter
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red bell pepper
1 to 2 jalapenos, diced
1 can minced mild green chiles
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried cilantro
1 Tbsp Trader Joe's Everything But the Elote Seasoning*
1 1/2 lbs baby red and gold potatoes, cut in half or quarters depending on the size
1 can creamed corn (optional)
5 cups broth (I used non-chicken broth)
1 can coconut milk or about 1 1/2 cups half-and-half or milk of choice
1 Tbsp cornstarch + 1/4 cup cold water
2 Tbsp lime juice, or to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
To Serve: green onions, cheddar cheese, cotija cheese (or feta), chopped cilantro, lime wedges, etc.
Grilling the corn and/or hominy is an extra step but worth it for the roasty flavor it adds to the soup. If using fresh corn, grill it in a grill pan or on a grill, turning it until all sides are lightly charred. If using frozen corn, thaw completely, drain well and pat dry and cook over high heat in a non-stick pan, turning as needed to get both sides to lightly char, do the same with the hominy if using. Set aside.
Heat butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery, carrots, red pepper and jalapeno and cook about 10 minutes, until veggies are softened and veggies translucent. Stir in the canned green chiles, garlic, dried oregano and cilantro, and Everything But the Elote Seasoning and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes, creamed corn and broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are mostly cooked through. Add the coconut milk and the corn and hominy that was set aside. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water, stirring until completely blended. Simmer soup about 10 minutes, until thickened. Stir in lime juice, taste and add salt, pepper and adjust any other seasonings as desired. Serve with cheddar cheese and cotija cheese, chopped green onion and cilantro and lime wedges as desired. Enjoy!
*If you don't have the Everything But the Elote Seasoning you mix together chipotle seasoning, grated parmesan cheese, chile pepper, dried cilnatro and cumin together and use that for a similar flavor.
Notes/Results: This chowder was really delicious--lots of flavor and pretty reminiscent of Mexican Street Corn and just slightly spicy (you can add more heat if desired). I think that the pan roasting the thawed frozen corn worked really well to make it seem more like fresh corn and I liked the flavor it added. The chowder is creamy and satisfying but the lime juice keeps it from being too rich. Soup in general and chowder especially are very free form and you can play with the ingredients to fit what you have or like. I happen to like this one very much and I will happily make it again.
Let's see what awaits in the Souper Sundays kitchen this week:
Debra of Eliot's Eats shared Black Beans with Garlic and Chipotle based on a book review and said, "Since Cinco de Mayo was coming up and there was lots of good food found in the New Moon portion of the book, I decided to focus on that. We always celebrate the holiday here with a Southwest feast and with the book ending with two of these (when Deena returns to her roots and with the seder that she makes), that’s where I headed for inspiration. I pulled out my Santa Fe Cooking School Cookbook for guidance. ... I can certainly see this being whipped up in the New Moon kitchen by Rain or Casey. (The rest of our Cinco de Mayo feast consisted of these black beans on the side, along with homemade tamales with a NM chile sauce, and rice. More about the rest of the meal later.)"
Here at Kahakai Kitchen I made a Green Goddess Tuna Sandwich inspired by the same book as Debra. I used Ina Garten's Green Goddess Dressing (which is delicious) and even more so when it dresses tuna with herb and celery leaf salad on a buttered and toasted English muffin.
Thank you to Debra for joining me this 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 to Souper Sundays in order to be included in the weekly round-up.
On your entry post (on your blog):
- Mention Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammies) Sundays at Kahakai Kitchen and add a 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 this post or my blog on your post, it will be removed.)
- You are welcome to add the Souper Sundays logo to your post and/or blog (completely optional).
I could eat every ingredient except chilis right now, I’m not to have any spicy food fir a bit. So of course now I want Indian and Thai and Mexican more than ever!
ReplyDeleteLove your beautiful and yummy looking bowl of soup.
I brought you chicken gnocchi soup.