Corn soup

To prepare the corn soup, start by shelling the steamed pre-cooked cobs: place them on a cutting board and slice them lengthwise with a knife 1, otherwise, you can also shell them by hand. Continue by cleaning and cutting the vegetables that will make up the sauté: peel the carrots with a peeler 2, then cut them into thin sticks and finally into cubes 3.

Then place the leek on a cutting board and remove both ends (4-5), then slice it into rounds 6.

Transfer the diced carrots 7 and sliced leeks 8 into a large, high-sided pot, drizzle them with a little extra virgin olive oil, and sauté over medium heat for a few minutes 9.

When the sautéed vegetables are nicely golden, add the corn kernels 10 and let them flavor for 5-6 minutes over low heat. Then salt and pepper to taste 11, add enough vegetable broth to cover the mixture 12, and let it cook for about 35 minutes. To find out how to best prepare the vegetable broth, consult the Cooking School: Vegetable broth.

Stir occasionally and when the mixture has softened and absorbed part of the broth 13, insert the immersion blender into the pot 14 and blend until you obtain a thick and homogeneous mixture 15, adding broth if needed. Let it cook for about 5 minutes and finally turn off the heat.

In the meantime, prepare the croutons to accompany the corn soup: cut 4 slices of durum wheat bread and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, then drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on each slice 16. Then salt to taste and sprinkle each slice with ground spicy paprika 17. Once the bread slices are seasoned, bake in a preheated static oven at 482°F for 5 minutes in grill mode, until they are slightly toasted and crispy 18. If using a convection oven, bake at 464°F for 2 and a half minutes in grill mode.

After this time, remove everything from the oven and let the bread slices cool on a wire rack, then place them on a cutting board and cut them in half lengthwise, forming sticks 19 or cubes. Plate the corn soup and accompany it with the croutons 20. Sprinkle everything with a pinch of pepper and finish by drizzling a little oil 21: all that remains is to serve and enjoy the corn soup with the croutons hot!