One of my favorite things about summer is fresh corn on the cob. I only buy corn that was picked that day, and only from farmstands. I was brought up to be a corn snob, as my grandfather grew his own and taught all of us that corn is sweetest and most delicious when it is fresh. Corn that is days old is starchy and not nearly as good. Corn season is too short, though, so I try to buy more than we can eat that day and, at the end of the evening, I cut the corn off the cobs that didn’t get eaten and freeze it in a zip-lock bag for post-season use. I had a large bag from last summer that I was saving for corn chowder, a favorite soup. I make my corn chowder differently every time. Sometimes I use chicken broth or bacon for flavor, but this time I wanted it to be a vegetarian version and, since I decided not to use any milk or cream, I might not be able to call it “chowder.” First I caramelized the onions to give the onions a deep, sweet flavor that I thought might be a nice base for the broth. I used smoked sea salt in the broth, thinking that it might impart some of the smoky flavor that bacon would otherwise offer the soup. Smoked sea salt is probably better for your arteries than bacon! If you don’t have corn in your freezer from last summer, just use frozen corn for this soup. And remember to stock up next summer, if you have a source of good local corn where you live.
Serves 6-8
3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
4 small-medium onions, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
6 cups cold water
2 potatoes, diced
2 bay leaves
½ cup chopped parsley
1 TBS rosemary leaves
3 twigs of thyme leaves, tied together with kitchen twine
1 tsp. smoked sea salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until they begin to turn brown. This is how you caramelize the onions. Put in slow cooker with celery, carrots, potatoes, water, and herbs. Cook on high for 5 hours, remove thyme and bay leaves, then add corn. Cook for another half hour, then serve.