If there's no time for broth-making, Mr. or Ms. Jet-setter, and you absolutely insist on using just water, try simmering the soup with the corn cobs tossed in after adding the water, taking care to remove them before you add the tomatoes and basil.
This soup just screams "I just came back from the farmers' market! Look at my bulging canvas sack!" Here's an opportunity to try out different varieties of local, fresh corn in the peak of summer, purple or Thai basil,Yukon gold or Russian banana potatoes, and any heirloom tomatoes.
6 ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
1 large onion, cut into fine dice
1 small bulb fennel (about pound), diced
1 stalk celery, chopped finely
1 large carrot, diced
1 pound white, waxy potatoes (about 2 medium-size), peeled and diced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 quarts Fresh Corn Stock, vegetable broth, or water
1 pound tomatoes, seeded and chopped finely
cup fresh basil leaves, tightly rolled and chopped into thin strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper
ON A large cutting surface or in a large bowl, hold an ear of corn by the thicker end and run a sharp knife carefully down the length of the ear, close to the cob, to slice off the kernels of corn. Repeat with the remaining ears. Set aside the kernels, break each cob in half to use in the corn stock, or add to the soup when simmering.
Preheat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Saute the garlic in oil for 30 seconds, then add the onion. Stir and cover, sweating them for about 5 minutes. Add the carrot and celery, stir, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the fennel, stir, cover, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes; then add the chopped potato, stir, cover, and cook for an additional 3 minutes. Finally, add the corn, stir, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the stock, stir, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and allow the soup to simmer, covered (with lid tilted so a small amount of heat can escape), for 45 minutes. Turn off the heat, ladle 1 cups of the soup into a separate large bowl, and allow to cool until only slightly warm.
Puree the bowl of soup with an immersion blender, then add back to the remaining soup in the pot. Place the pot over medium heat, add the chopped tomatoes and basil, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, until the soup is hot.
FRESH CORN STOCK.
This stock is very free form. Try tossing flavorful vegetable scraps (such as onion skins, carrot peelings, etc.) in with the rest of the ingredients.
8 cups water
6 corn cobs, broken in half
2 carrots, chopped coarsely
2 stalks celery, with leaves
1 leek, washed well and chopped coarsely
1 onion with skin, cut into chunks
Handful of fresh parsley, torn coarsely
1 teaspoon whole black or red peppercorns
Optional: carrot tops, additional celery leaves and stems, additional onion skins, lacy fronds from the fennel tops IN a large stockpot, combine the water, corn cobs, carrot, celery, leek, onion,parsley and peppercorns. Add one or more of the optional vegetable trimmings. Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Remove cover, reduce heat to medium-high and allow to simmer for 1 to 1 hours.
Allow the stock to cool until tepid. Strain the stock with either a large metal strainer or cheesecloth. It can be refrigerated in a covered container for up to a week.
ROASTED YELLOW PEPPER AND CORN BISQUE.
SERVES 6 TO 8.
TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINUTES, LOTS OF IT INACTIVE.
Yellow peppers, yellow corn, and yellow summer squash make for a bright and beautiful-you guessed it-yellow soup. Red chile peppers dot this soup and save it from a monochrome yellow, plus they add just a little spice. Partially pureeing everything makes this bisque really luscious and creamy, while nutmeg and lime tie the whole shebang together. Again, this is a great farmers' market soup, when everyone has yellow squash up the wazoo and you are sick another night of yellow squash saute.
To better manage your time, you can prep the roasted peppers up to a day ahead and leave them tightly sealed in the fridge overnight.
4 yellow bell peppers
3 cups fresh corn, cut from the cobs (you can use frozen, too, but fresh tastes better)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium-size Vidalia or Walla Walla onion, diced
3 cloves garlic