The trolls are out in force this summer. These times are wild and crazy and the perfect breeding ground for malevolent online trolls. While innocently scrolling through cat memes, or slideshows of gardens bursting with blooms there is no escape from trolls – they are everywhere. Even on our own facebook page. We’re a grocery store! Leave us alone trolls! Go spread your ill will and angry vibes somewhere else.
Just for a moment, let’s take a break from all the trolls and the anger and confusion of life during Covid and get back to what we all love: food.
A silky green soup served chilled and topped with spicy jalapeño slices and toasted kernels of corn. Inspired by this recipe at Food & Wine, we’ve jazzed it up with romaine lettuce.
It is the perfect dish to soothe your fevered brain and invigorate your soul.
photo: Food & Wine
Chilled Corn & Romaine Soup with Lime
Ingredients
8 ears of corn, shucked
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt & pepper
3/4 cup packed baby spinach leaves
4-5 leaves romaine, the dark green outer leaves are best
4 jalapeños—2 stemmed, seeded and roughly chopped; 2 stemmed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Steps
Cut the kernels from the cobs; you should have 6 cups. Working over another bowl, scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to release the corn milk; discard the cobs.
In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add 4 1/2 cups of the corn kernels and the corn milk and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a blender and let cool slightly. Wipe out the skillet.
Add 1 1/2 cups of water to the blender with the corn and puree at high speed until very smooth, about 5 minutes. Strain the puree through a fine sieve set over a large bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard the solids. Return the corn puree to the blender and add the spinach, chopped jalapeños and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice and puree until the spinach is finely chopped and the soup is green. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in 1 1/2 cups of water. Cover and refrigerate the soup until cold, at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of corn kernels and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 1 minute. Transfer the corn to a small bowl and refrigerate until cold.
Add the sliced jalapeños and the remaining 1 teaspoon of lime juice to the chilled corn kernels and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the soup to bowls and top with the corn. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.