I’m a married woman now! Along with the excitement and adjustments of married life, there comes a practical reality that two people have to eat. Every day. The first month Erick and I coasted along and enjoyed eating out. After we looked at our finances, we decided that we should consider cooking more. This brought about a new world of discovery for me as I began to dive into new recipes. Here’s one of my most recent favorites that I wanted to share from a cookbook that I got as a wedding present. You can find this Newlywed Cookbook from Anthropologie and I promise you won’t be disappointed at the colorful recipes that call for many fresh and flavorful ingredients!
Summer Corn Soup (serves 4-6)
- 6 ears of fresh sweet corn
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 4 cups of water
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 tbsp best-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 small summer squash, diced
- I large yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium beefsteak tomatoes, diced
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- Handful of fresh basil leaves torn or thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped dill
Trim the corn kernels from the cobs using a serrated knife and reserve the cobs. Add the kernels, salt, and the water to a deep pot. Use the back of the knife to scrape the reserved corn cobs, scraping all the leftover kernels and milky white liquid into the pot, and then add the cobs. Bring to a simmer, season with pepper, and cook until the broth tastes of sweet corn, about 20 minutes. Keep warm on the lowest heat.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the summer squash and cook until golden but still a touch crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add the onion and cook until soft and light brown in some parts, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of your best olive oil and set aside.
Add the half-and-half to the pot with the corn. Remove the cobs with tongs and discard. Stir in the squash and onions and season with additional salt and pepper. Divide between soup bows and spoon the seasoned tomatoes in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with herbs. Serve warm.
This was a huge success! I forgot to add the water at the beginning so it took longer than it should have, but it is a pretty forgiving recipe. Since there are only two of us, we obviously had leftovers and they were just as good the next day. Here’s to summer eating! Bon appetite.
-Julie Anne
Julie Anne Vargas 