Fresh Corn & Red Pepper Bisque

From EatingWell: Summer 2004, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook — Subscribe Now!

Use the freshest and sweetest ears you can find for this corn and red pepper bisque. We use just a bit of reduced-fat sour cream in this soup to give it a creamy body, without the heavy cream usually used in a bisque.

4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

Active Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup sweet onion, chopped, such as Vidalia
3 cups fresh corn kernels, (about 6 ears; see Tip)
1 large clove garlic, minced
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal
1 small red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
1 scallion, white and pale green part, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley, or cilantro
Hot sauce, such as Tabasco sauce, to taste
1 lime, cut into wedges

Preparation

Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, 6 to 7 minutes. Add corn and garlic; cook, stirring often, until the corn is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add broth and simmer until the corn is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer 1 1/2 cups of the corn mixture to a blender or food processor. Add sour cream and 1/2 cup cooking liquid and process until the mixture is smooth, about 2 minutes. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.) Return the puree to the pan.
Whisk in cornmeal; bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, until it thickens. Add bell pepper, scallion, parsley (or cilantro) and hot sauce; heat through. Serve with lime wedges.

Tips & Notes

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Tip: Removing Corn from the Cob: Stand an uncooked ear of corn on its stem end in a shallow bowl and slice the kernels off with a sharp, thin-bladed knife. This technique produces whole kernels that are good for adding to salads and salsas. If you want to use the corn kernels for soups, fritters or puddings, you can add another step to the process. After cutting the kernels off, reverse the knife and, using the dull side, press it down the length of the ear to push out the rest of the corn and its milk.

Nutrition

Per serving: 201 calories; 6 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 11 mg cholesterol; 32 g carbohydrates; 9 g protein; 5 g fiber; 314 mg sodium; 477 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (120% daily value), Vitamin A (45% dv).

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat