I can't remember if it was for my birthday or Christmas last year that my aunt sent me this nifty gadget: the corn zipper. What I do know is that it has languished in the drawer ever since. Corn has been out of season.
I had been hoping that the maiden voyage of the corn zipper would be on some home-grown sweetcorn, but alas it was not to be. The plants sprouted quickly enough, and formed ears like good little plantlets, but then totally failed to form kernels.
But all is not lost. Waving the flag for our gardening abilities, this soup does contain homegrown cherry tomatoes and chilli. And it takes less than 10 minutes to make, including going out and picking your tomatoes, which is nice.
It is a real taste of late summer and absolutely delicious, so I am proud to send this over to Deb's Kahakai Kitchen for her Souper (soup, salad and sammie) Sunday event.
Sweetcorn and Tomato Chowder (serves 1)
splash of olive oil
100g cubed pancetta
1 shallot, minced
handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 green chilli, deseeded and sliced
kernels from 1 cob of corn
150ml semiskimmed milk (2%)
Over a medium heat, saute the pancetta in a tiny splash of olive oil until it begins to crisp, then add the shallot. When the shallot is translucent add the cherry tomatoes and green chilli, and stir until the tomatoes collapse. Add the corn and milk and reduce the heat. Bring slowly to a simmer. Season with freshly ground pepper and eat.
17 comments:
Lovely & colourful. Might be our Sunday soup this week also.
The corn zipper works really well I find (having also got one as part of a gift package).
I'm all agog at the wonder of the corn zipper! I can't tell how many times I've made Delia's sweetcorn and pumpkin soup and sent millions of kernels flying about the kitchen with a knife.
Lovely chowder and a vege version is going on my list of summer foods to make.
we are in the same boat about kernels. super heavy feeders... but the soup looks good.
we did have it for Sunday lunch - made with chicken stock instead of milk. Delicious!
Mother - it's a lovely flavour, isn't it?
Cranky - you need to approach the corn zipper with caution! The first stroke sent the kernels flying all over the place.
MM - that's what we were doing wrong then. We dressed the soil when we planted it out but didn't fertilise through the season.
That sounds really good. I wonder what I can substitute for the pancetta - hum. Don't feel bad about the corn growing, no-one I know has done well with them this year. We didn't try, but our tomatoes did really badly, so well done for getting a crop of those.
What a delicious, hearty, beautiful and easy dinner to make! Definitely one to include in my student lifestyle :)
I keep thinking I need a corn zipper--every time I am cleaning up the kernels. ;-) The soup looks delicious--thanks for sending it to Souper Sundays.
;-)
Choclette - Maybe some grated cheese on top at the end?
Hazel - I am glad you liked it.
Deb - the corn zipper is awesome!
I have bookmarked this to make soon as I find beautiful corn at the market every time. Thanks for sharing
I love chowder and this one looks especially good. That corn zipper is ingenious! I've never seen one of those before.
Of course, now I am curious about the corn zipper. I have actually never tried to remove kernels before cooking the corn. I usually roast the corn on the cob and then proceed to cut the kernels off with a knife.
Anyway, your soup has a lovely, inviting color.
Jo - I hope you like it!
Sam - not all corn zippers are as nifty/kitsch as that one. A lot of them are plain metal.
Simona - roasted corn is so delicious!
Just what I want now
This sounds and looks amazingly delicious! I want a corn zipper too. Glad you got to use it before corn season is gone for the year!! You have a very fun blog, I found you on foodieblogroll.com :)
Oooh, I've got to look out for a corn zipper! I used a knife last time and corn kernels flew everywhere!
Fuchsia - you'll have lots of lovely vegetables coming through now!
Andrea - Really? I didn't know I was on the blogroll. Thanks for stopping by!
Su-Lin - it is very nifty. I don't know how I did without it.
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