Corn is starting to arrive in grocery stores. I also spotted local Amish tomatoes at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in the Strip District last week, which got me thinking, "Why not combine the two in a super-easy soup?"
Cookbook author and television personality Carla Hall (you probably know her from "The Chew" on ABC) has just the recipe.
It's a colorful corn chowder enlivened ever so lightly with a trio of Mexican flavors _ cumin, chili and epazote, a funky and aromatic oregano-like herb. It's one of the first dishes she made in her first restaurant job at the Henley Park Hotel in Washington, D.C., she writes in her cookbook, "Carla's Comfort Foods."
It adjusted her perception of what a corn soup should look like. Up to that point, she hadn't worked with Mexican flavors, and so thought that corn chowder should be yellow in color. But because the recipe includes tomatoes and chilies, it's tinted red.
The soup comes together beautifully. I had some leftover barbecued chicken, so I chopped it up and threw it in the chowder after it was blended.
For a light summer meal, serve it with a leafy green salad and a loaf of really great bread.
