Welcome to Fruity Friday’s...This week it is the Corn Cob which I have always thought of as a vegetable…How wrong was I?

Whole corn, like you eat on the cob, is considered a vegetable. The corn kernel itself (where popcorn comes from) is considered a grain. … Mmmmm…if you aren’t confused then I most certainly am…

This is why several foods that we think of as vegetables are actually fruits, like tomatoes and avocados. Corn technically is actually a vegetable, a whole grain, and a fruit because corn is a seed derived from the flower of the corn plant so classed as a fruit. More specifically, corn is a caryopsis, which is a type of fruit in which the pericarp (that’s the fleshy bit, like the part of a peach that you eat) and seed coat are fused tightly.

I’m glad we cleared that one up…I am happy with that as I use corn in both sweet and savoury dishes…By going easy with the butter, cooked on a beach BBQ it is the best thing ever…delicious as healthy as an Apple or Banana…

Sweetcorn mixed with coconut cream and cooked so they get a sweet crispy, lacy bottom are called Kanom Krup …a delicious street food.

Corn in colder climes is connected to Autumn and Halloween…by now I am sure you are all decorating your front porches…I always love the pictures as we have never celebrated Halloween it wasn’t a British thing we have the Harvest festival and over the last decade shops have promoted Halloween and some people do it but it isn’t as big as it in other countries…

But although corn is available all year round it is at its best between September and November.

A lovely creamy smooth corn soup is a lovely thing and of course, you can add some corn kernels or bacon or swirl with a nice red pepper coulis…

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 heaping cup chopped shallots
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, best quality or homemade if you have it…
• 6 ears fresh corn (white or yellow are both fine, but yellow makes for a lovely colour soup)
• 1-1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1-1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil, thyme or garnish of your choice.

Let’s Cook!

Remove the husks and silks from the corn. If you intend to add corn kernels to the soup then set one ear of corn aside. Use a knife to cut the kernels off of the remaining 5 cobs, then break the scraped cobs in half. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring often, until soft and translucent, 8-10 minutes.

Add the chicken stock, corn kernels, broken cobs, whole ear of corn, salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the whole ear of corn (if used) and set aside to cool.

Cook the soup for 10 minutes more, then remove the broken cobs from the pot and discard.

Remove the pan from the heat, use a handheld immersion blender to purée the soup until very smooth. It will take a few minutes.

Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and purée it in batches in a blender. Be sure to crack the lid or remove the centre cap to allow steam to escape and cover with a tea towel so it won’t splatter. Splatters hurt!

If you have a high-powered blender, like a Vitamix, you may be able to skip the next step of straining the soup.

If like me you haven’t then straining the soup it is key to a smooth soup a lovely base for your embellishments…think bacon or scallops…

To get a smooth as silk soup.

Place a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pass the soup through, using a back of a ladle to push the soup through in circular motions. Discard the fibres and bits of kernels in the sieve. Return the strained soup to a clean pot. It should have a creamy consistency. If it’s too thick, thin it with water or chicken stock; if it’s too thin, cook over medium heat until thickened.

If you are adding corn kernels then use a knife to cut the cooked kernels off of the cooled whole cob, then add the kernels to the soup along with the herbs. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper (if necessary, you can add a bit of sugar to bring out the corn’s natural sweetness).

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with tiny sprigs of fresh herbs, if desired.

Now if you want to make your corn soup really special then sear some lovely fresh scallops and use as a garnish…3 per bowl should be fine…

Can be served hot or cold this recipe makes about 4/5 servings.

I have often heard people say that corn isn’t healthy and can make you pile on the pounds…I think you may know what my answer to that is…x

I medium ear of corn has approx 100 cals the same as an apple…it also has about 3 grams of fibre…however unlike your apple corn tends to be served with butter, dips or other various toppings if you slather those over your corn then, of course, you pile on the pounds especially if it is a regular on your menu…

Yes, it also has natural sugar (6 grams) but then so does your apple…Corn has less than 1/2 of a banana, 1/3 of an apples natural sugar even beets have more natural sugars…

As long as you stick to the real thing and not processed foods which have high fructose corn syrup in and are also more likely to be from FMO corn…If you buy fresh certified organic corn or check with your local farmer it is unlikely to be GMO or to have a pesticide residue…if possible grow your own…

Corn also contains insoluble fibre which aids your digestion and keeps your bowel healthy…so with the addition of B vitamins, iron and potassium it is quite a healthy little package and like the banana comes in its own package just go easy on the butter and those toppings…

About Carol Taylor: 

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetable ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use contain to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Thank you once again for reading this post I hope you all have a fabulous weekend and stay safe… these are troubling times and I know many of you are back on lockdown again I just wish everyone would observe the guidelines and then maybe this will all be over far quicker than if we don’t xx