Summer’s Bounty
Even as the overnight temperatures are getting cooler, we’ve been blessed with many bright sunny days, and the corn and zucchini are still fresh at farm stands and farmers’ markets. I’ve devised this soup that even works well with zucchini that have gotten too big as long as you omit some of the more seeded cores. The bright flavors allow you to savor the tastes of sunshine even if the temps are chilly and you decide to serve it warm.
ABOUT THOSE ZUCCHINI…
by Elizabeth Baer
I recently read that August is the Sunday of the summer. As much as most people probably can relate to the “Sunday scaries” and how August represents that for the summer, it rings especially true for me as a former teacher. Even as a child I remember how my grandmother used to be wary of swimming in August, feeling that summer was ending, it was getting chilly, and we might get sick. (Of course, a lot of those anxieties were entirely reasonable for someone who lived through many seasonal epidemics of deadly and dreadful diseases.)
But there is still much wonderful to enjoy in these later moments of summer, and still a lot of delicious produce! The corn is sweet and the zucchini are large and prolific. Sometimes the zucchini get out of control! This soup provides a use for those big summer squash, even if you discard some of the more seeded portions to keep the flavor rich and the soup less watery. It’s also vegan, getting a bit of richness and creaminess from a touch of coconut milk, but not so much as to overwhelm. (Freeze any extra coconut milk for another time, or, if it need not be vegan, you can try some heavy cream or half & half.) Most adaptable, this soup tastes good hot, room temperature or cold, and it can even be frozen to bring a bit of summer flavor during a blustery blizzard in February!
VEGAN ZUCCHINI CORN SOUP
Makes about 6 cups
INGREDIENTS:
4 ears corn, shucked
4 cups cold water
1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt, divided, plus more as needed
2-2½ pounds zucchini (2-3 large)
1 shallot or ½ small onion, minced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed (optionally 2 tablespoons in addition)
Several grinds fresh pepper, plus more as needed
½ cup coconut milk
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the kernels off the corn cob. There are several useful gadgets for this purpose. If you don’t have any such tool, invert a small bowl inside of a larger bowl. Hold the corn cob on its end on the small, inverted bowl and slice down along the base of the kernels on one side. This allows the corn to fall into the bowl. Turn and repeat until you have gone all around and cut off all the kernels. This should yield about 3-3½ cups corn kernels. If desired, set aside ½ cup for texture in the soup or garnish on top.
Place the denuded cobs in a medium saucepan with the water and ½ teaspoon salt. If the cobs are too long for the pot, break in half. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes to give the water the flavor of the corn. Remove the cobs, and strain and reserve the corn stock.
While the corn stock is cooking, prepare the zucchini. With large zucchini, it is better to discard some of the more heavily seeded sections. Trim the ends, then cut in half making two cylinders from each zucchini. Stand the cylinders on end and slice down to cut off long sides, leaving a square core to discard. You will have some seeds along with the flesh of the squash, but you will be reducing the number of seeds. For texture in the soup or garnish on top if desired, chop enough zucchini into ¼-inch cubes to make ½ cup and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining zucchini. Mince the shallot or onion.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the shallot, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper, and cook until the shallot softens, about 3-5 minutes. Add the corn kernels and zucchini, and sauté for another 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown on the edges of the pan. If the vegetables are sticking to the pan too much, add a touch more oil.
Add the corn stock to the vegetables. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes until everything is fully softened. Add the coconut milk and stir to combine.
Using an immersion blender, food processor, or blender, purée the soup fully. Depending on the capacity of your equipment, this may need to be done in batches. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. This soup can be served hot, room temperature, or chilled.
Optionally, if a bit of texture in the soup or garnish on top is desired, heat the optional 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add reserved corn kernels and diced zucchini with a pinch of salt, and sauté for 3-5 minutes until vibrant. Stir into the soup or place gently on top as garnish.