This is a great lunch-time soup. You can make it vegetarian by leaving out the bacon, but I do love the salty touch of bacon in soup.
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Corn Cobs – corn scraped off with a sharp knife
2 medium carrots – peeled and chopped/sliced (I cut into big diagonal slices)
1 stick of celery – chopped
1 onion – chopped roughly
Half a fennel bulb (optional)
2 medium potatoes – chopped roughly
1 chilli, deseeded and chopped (I always wear surgical gloves for this job or else I end up burning my skin!)
4 rashers back bacon – snipped with scissors into small pieces
3 tabs olive oil
small handful of mixed herbs – I used basil, parsley and coriander – chopped
For the Toppings
Half an avocado – roughly chopped
Half a dozen cherry tomatoes – quartered
Half a lemon or lime
2 tabs of thick Greek yoghurt or to taste
A handful of grated cheese eg cheddar
Method
Saute all of the vegetables and the chilli, but not the corn. Soften for about ten minutes. Add two pints water, chicken stock or vegetable stock. If you only have water available then it is fine as long as you check your seasoning. Bring to the boil and season well with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper. Simmer gently, covered, for about 20 minutes. Check the seasoning. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a little more oil in a small pan. Blitz the soup, but not fully, using a stick blender. I like it about half and half chunky and blended. You can do this easily with the stick blender in the pan, without having to remove any of the soup. Put the pan back on the heat and add the bacon, half of the herbs and the corn. I do not like pureed corn, which is why I add it later on, rather than risking blending it with the other vegetables. If it is not creamy enough, you can add a dollop of yoghurt or cream. Simmer for another five minutes to cook the corn. Mix the tomatoes and avocado with the rest of the herbs, some lemon or lime juice and a splash of olive oil.
Serve the soup in bowls, letting your guests choose their own toppings. If you want to push the boat out and are extra hungry, you could also sprinkle over some tortilla chips.