My sister is coming to stay and she is a veggie…simply cannot give her mushroom risotto (apparently absolutely everyone else does) so have plumped for a starter of Sweetcorn & Lemongrass Soup. This elegant and refreshing dish is one of Maria Elia’s fantastic contemporary vegetarian recipes. Impressive as a starter topped with mint, sweetcorn relish or chopped radish…. Grace x
Lemongrass & sweetcorn soup with creme fraiche
Ingredients Serves 4
- 3 ears of corn or equivalent amount of frozen sweetcorn
- 50g butter
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped
- 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 litre milk
- 5 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons crème fraîche
- salt and pepper
How to prepare
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the corn kernels from the cob. Set cobs and kernels aside.
Gently heat the butter; add the onion, ginger, and chile. Sauté until softened but not browned (about 5 minutes). Add the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the milk, the lemongrass, corn and the cobs and stir, bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Discard the corn cobs and blend the soup in a food processor until smooth, then pass through a sieve and season. Serve with a swirl of crème fraîche and Sweet Corn Relish (see below).
Sweet Corn Relish
- 1 corn cob, husked
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 stalk lemongrass, finely chopped
Roll the corn in a little of the olive oil, season with salt and pepper and cook on a preheated grill pan or over a charcoal fire until tender. When cool enough to handle, remove the corn kernels from the cob, place in a bowl and mix with the remaining ingredients. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
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