I had taken a break from blogging this past week due to the occurrence of two

somewhat important events in my life: the death of my dog and my engagement. Thankfully, I finally feel myself returning to a state of emotional equilibrium. (Which is good, because I have a blog to get back to!)

I picked today’s recipe for my Smokey Corn Soup because we have included it in our potential wedding reception menu.

This soup is filling, full of flavor, includes familiar tastes, and is not overwhelmingly spicy: several qualities that make it a good recipe to use when serving a crowd of omnivores. Note: at about 3.5 cups, this soup does not have a huge yield. If you’re cooking for a crowd, double the recipe. Triple it even. Quadruple if you’re crazy.

Smokey Corn Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 cups frozen corn, thawed (or two 15-oz cans of corn, drained)
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 tsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 TB dried Aleppo Chile pepper flakes
• 2 tsp agave nectar (or maple syrup)
• 1 small onion, diced (about 1 cup when diced)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 TB extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 cup rice milk (or other non-dairy milk)

 

Directions:

1. Chop onion and mince garlic. In a medium-sized heavy-bottomed pot, heat olive oil over low to medium-low heat. Saute garlic and onion for about 4-5 minutes, or until soft.
2. Add all spices to garlic and onions.
3. In blender (I do this while the garlic and onions cook), combine the rice milk with the agave nectar and 2 cups of corn (reserving 1 cup to mix into soup later). Blend on high until smooth. (I use a BlendTec, but whatever you have will work!)
4. Add pureed corn mixture to pot with onion and garlic. Add the 1 cup of reserved whole corn.
5. Add cooked brown rice.
6. Add liquid smoke.
7. Heat gently over medium-low, stirring frequently.