Easy Summer Soup ...

I had this soup several years ago at a luncheon on a shady summer porch ... why haven't I thought of it in so long? That IS a big question ...

 Last evening, SB and I had corn on the cob with our dinner. When all was said and done, there was one ear of corn left ... one lonely ear of corn. As SB cut the corn from the cob, I flashed on that bowl of soup from long ago.  It was a simple concoction with the freshest of everything summer .... a soft chicken broth in which floated, fresh corn that had been cut from the cob, small chunks of garden tomatoes, fresh green cilantro leaves, tiny rings of jalapeno pepper, slivers of scallions, and small bite-sized nibbles of shrimp. The soup was garnished with toasted tortilla slivers that had been tossed with a ghost of olive oil and kosher salt and pepper. Smack dab in the center of the crown of the soup was a tiny dollop of sour cream - a cool little mound to swirl through the soup.

Flashing back on that soup made me resolve right then, right there,  to put it together for our next dinner. Now ... I don't have the strict recipe for this soup. We are dealing here with an intense food memory! Like many soups, though, it should be an easy job of putting the flavors together. My advice is always to add more of what you like and less of what you don't ... except when it comes to the cilantro and then, add just enough to float the surface of each bowl and flavor the broth just a bit.

Right! Here we go... I'm making enough for two. No leftovers allowed here ... something tells me that shrimp in the soup would NOT repeat well the next day. Do what YOU will...

Salad is made and chilling in fridge, guacamole and crisps on the table for knoshing with some beer as a bit of a starter ... now for the soup.

Easy Summer Soup

Ingredients:

4 c. chicken broth

1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 small garlic clove, minced 

1 ear of corn, kernels cut off

2 perfect scallions, tipped and cut into 1-inch lengths, then slivered

1 jalapeno pepper, cut into very thin rings

1/2 lb. shrimp, shelled and de-veined, chopped into bite-sized pieces

black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

2 flour tortillas

olive oil

sour cream for a dollop of garnish

Making the Soup:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and cut the tortillas into thin slivers while it pre-heats. Toss the tortilla slivers in a bowl with a small amount of olive oil and salt and black pepper. Spread in one layer on a cookie sheet and toast until golden and crisp. Watch closely and turn them to frequently to crisp upall sides. Remove when golden and crisp and place in a paper-lined bowl. Set aside.

2. In a soup pot, saute the garlic in a small amount of olive oil until it glistens.

3. Add the chicken broth, lower the heat and simmer for a short time while you prep the veggies and shrimp.

4. Fifteen minutes before you want to eat, add the corn and tomatoes to the simmering stock.

5. Five minutes before you want to eat, add the shrimp, jalapenos,  and scallions. Let the shrimp cook and when it is
perfect, serve immediately.

6. Top each serving with several tortilla crisps and a dollop of sour cream.  Have more tortilla crisps on the side for knoshing.