I love soup no matter what time of year it is, especially since I got a Vitamix which makes soup-blending a breeze. You can find my go-to soup recipes here and here . However, it’s hard to find a hot soup that vibes with the summer months, so when I found this recipe for corn soup, I had to try it right away. It starts with one of my favorite summer ingredients, corn, which blends nicely with the subtle flavors of shallots and garlic and the thickness of the potatoes. The original recipe pairs this dish with yogurt, harissa, and dill. I opted for homemade croutons instead.

Ingredients:
-6 ears corn, de-husked
-7 cups water
-2 tblspn olive oil
-1 tblspn unsalted butter
-3-4 potatoes, cut into small pieces
-4 shallots, chopped
-3 cloves garlic, chopped
-2 tspn sea salt
-Pinch of black pepper

Croutons:
-1/2 loaf stale white Italian bread
-2 tblspn olive oil
-Salt to taste
-Dried herbs of your choice (I used an Herbs de Provence mix that I picked up in France)

Directions:
– Bring the water in a large pot
– Meanwhile, cut the kernels from the cobs of corn, saving them in a bowl.
– Take the cobs (without kernels) and place them in the water- cover the pot with a lid
-Let the cobs simmer into a stock/broth while you’re prepping the rest of the ingredients (about 15-30 minutes).
– Remove the cobs from the broth when you’re ready to use it.
– While the broth is forming, heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
– Add the potatoes, stir until they are well-coated, add a big pinch of salt, and saute until the potatoes are cooked, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
-When the potatoes are almost cooked, add the shallots and garlic.
-Add the cooked potatoes, along with the corn kernels and the salt, to the corn broth.
-Simmer for 3 minutes.
-Remove half of the soup to puree and then add back into the chunky half
-If you want a smoother soup, you can puree the whole batch.
-Serve in bowls topped with 3-4 croutons per serving.
-Enjoy!

Croutons:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees
-Cut bread into 1/4 inch pieces
-Mix bread in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and herbs
-Spread the mixture over a baking sheet and put in the oven
-Cook for 20-30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the bread is super crunchy.
-Serve with this soup or your favorite salad!