Spicy Roasted Corn Soup for One

I recently entered a contest on food52.com-a really cool site that collects recipes from bloggers, chefs, and really anyone who loves to cook, covering the gamet of cooking themes (best couscous dishes, best way to cook a whole fish, and even the best nose to tail recipe). These recipes are collected on a weekly basis until June of 2010, where editors pick two finalists and then users vote for the best-of-the-best to be selected into a cookbook food52 is creating. Last weeks contest involved creating a recipe for a dinner alone. I, of course, choose a soup and since I had corn and various spices lying around it seemed like a quick and simple dinner option for myself. Check out the excerpt from my entry below:

 Corn Soup with Salted Lemon Wedges - Seriously Soupy

Spicy Roasted Corn Soup for One


I love roasted corn on the cob. So, in thinking about this challenge I wanted to use what I had, since if I was having a nice dinner at home I doubt I would be dashing to the grocery store. With that in mind I decided to create a variation of the corn on the cob into a soup-using simple ingredients, to make a quick, easy meal, and of course one that I would enjoy eating. I thought that roasting it with olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper in the oven would enhance its flavors (as opposed to just boiling it in water). I also decided to give the soup a little kick with chili powders and paprika, which along with the subtle use of lemon makes this soup slightly spicy, but still cooling. I hope you enjoy it during your dinner home alone (sounds like an impossible feat in my world), but still it's a nice idea and one that I am now prepared for.:)

Ingredients:

• 3 ears of corns
• 1 bunch of dill, tied together
• 1 yellow onion, cut up
• 1/2 parsnip, cut up
• 2-3 tablespoons of butter
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 clove of garlic, chopped up
• 2-3 teaspoons of chili powder
• 2-3 teaspoons of paprika
• 2 teaspoons of sea salt
• 2 teaspoons of black peppercorn
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemons
• 1-2 cup of water

Serves: 2
*If you won't be dining alone, you simply have to double the amount of corn and parsnips. You don't necessary have to double the spices, but test the recipe using the suggested measurements. You should modify after you taste it, unless you know that you want it super spicy.


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven for 350 degrees. Shuck three ears of corn and with a knife cut the corn from its stem. Place the kernels on a sheet of aluminum foil or a baking sheet and drizzle the corn with olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. Make sure all the kernels are well-coated. Close the foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes.
2. While the corn is roasting, boil a small amount of water in a pot. Cut up the parsnip, onions, and garlic and place in the pot.
3. Take the dill and cut off a chuck of it with your hands. Bind it with some white thread and place in the pot. Make sure the flame is low and covered at this point.
4. Periodically check on the corn, it should appear slightly brown (generally after 45 minutes). Turn off the oven and place the corn in the boiling water mixture.
5. Add the seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder), lemon juice, more butter, and some more water (I added another 1/2 of a cup) to the soup and cover.
6. Let the soup retain these new flavors for 10-15 minutes. Test the mixture, adding more seasonings (if necessary).
7. Turn off the flame and take out the bunched dill. With a hand blender, mix the soup together until it is slightly chunky. If you desire a smoother soup, you can add more water, but be sure to test the flavoring of the soup, since the water may dilute this.
8. Pour into a bowl and enjoy!

Seriously Soupy Serena

Soup Links—A weekly rundown of soup in the news

There has been quite a lot of soupy action going on this week. Check out some of exciting things in the world of soup, including voting for a soup created by yours truly —seriously:

• The Gift of Soup. Congrats, you just had a baby! Now, here's your soup. Maybe this will take some time to take flight, but the recent article in the San Francisco Gate by Amanda Gold is surely a proponent for this novel idea. Entitled The Gift of Soup, the article illustrates how the gift of frozen soup can be a creative way to comfort new parents, while providing them with a nourishing meal, which is much-needed during those sleepless early days. Gold also goes one to give some rules for the preparation and which soups can be frozen. Now, I'm not much for rules when it comes to soups, but Gold's suggestions are very helpful, especially when she discusses what ingredients last in the freezer (vegetables, meat and beans) and those that should be eaten in a few days (mushroom). Additionally, she includes handy tips for the thawing out process and recipes, along with wine pairings for each individual soup. Not sure if these soups would even make their way to my freezer, especially the Winter Ribollita and the Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic, but I really enjoyed this step-by-step style article. You can check it out at: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article/article?f=/c/a/2010/01/10/FDCJ1BC0JJ.DTL#ixzz0chC8nJwn
  

• Roasted Chestnut Soup with Crème Fraiche. So, I have become a little obessed with chestnut soup. And this is not because I have been savoring this soupy, but have been seeing it everywhere since I have been trying to find this rare ingredient (at least in my neck of the woods) for my Christmas soup. Although it worked out for the best with my Sweet Potato and Cranberry Soup, I can't help but grit my teeth in frustration at not being able to create it myself. This week I stumbled upon yet another chestnut soup creation with a Roasted Chestnut Soup with Crème Fraiche recipe from Ceramic Canvas. I immediately loosed my jaw, as it dropped in amazement at the sight of the gorgeous food pictures taken by the author, Reginald, and then of course there was the recipe. Loosely based on a recipe from Metropolitan Home magazine, this recipe incorporated seasonal ingredients such as fresh chestnuts, onions, thyme, and crème fraiche (my other nemesis). You can find the recipe here: http://ceramiccanvas.com/2010/01/roasted-chestnut-soup-with-cream-fraiche/ and hopefully you will have more luck on your quest for the chestnut.
  

• Spicy Roasted Corn Soup. And now on to the shameless self-promotion part of the evening.... I recently entered the food52 "Best Home Alone Dinner" challenge, which asked contestants to submit a recipe based on meal that they would create if they were having a meal for one. Of course I opted to create a soup and decided since I was home alone (in fantasy world, of course) that I would keep it sort of simple by using what I had in my house (corn, parsnips, onions, some spices, etc). Rather than boiling the corn, I decided to roast the corn with garlic, salt, butter and olive oil, which blackened the corn a bit. I then transported it into a soup pot to cook for another 15 minutes or so with a minimal amount of water, some lemon, and spices. What resulted was a chunky soup with tons of flavor that started out sweet from the corn and ended with a slight kick from he spices. I would even opt to increase the spice a bit next time, but that's up to you. Check out the recipe here: http://www.food52.com/recipes/2659_spicy_roasted_corn_soup_for_one and don't forget to vote for me!

Seriously Soupy Serena