March 14, 2011: Sweetcorn soup with chipotle and lime

We had half a pumpkin to use up and a fairly lazy evening in which to cook - once again, we turned to Ottolenghi (it may soon be time to decommission this blog and just reroute Ottolenghi's RSS feed). This time, we came up with this recipe, which used up our pumpkin perfectly while providing a tangy and rich delight for us. It's not the most substantial meal, so don't expect anything especially hearty, but it's so flavoursome and vibrant that we were happy enough with just a small bowl each and some grilled tortillas.


Sweetcorn soup with chipotle and lime (via Ottolenghi's Guardian blog)

3 tablespoons olive oil
5 green onions, chopped finely
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 celery sticks, diced small
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon grounder coriander
400g peeled pumpkin, diced
2 bay leaves
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 litre water
1 chipotle, diced finely, with a few dabs of the adobo sauce it lives in
Kernels from 4 corn cobs
150g sour cream
Juice of 2 limes (3 if they're not very juicy)
1 handful torn coriander leaves
Salt

Heat the oil, and then fry the onions, garlic, celery, cumin and ground coriander with a shake or two of salt for 10 or 12 minutes, until the celery has softened.

Add in the pumpkin, bay leaves, lime leaves, chipotle and water. Cover until the pot boils and then simmer for 10 or 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender. Add in the corn kernels and simmer for another five minutes.

Scoop out half of the vegetables and set aside, and throw away the bay and lime leaves. Blend the rest of the soup until everything is nice and smooth, pop the vegetables back in and stir in half of the sour cream and the lime juice.

Serve with a sprinkling of coriander leaves and a generous dab of sour cream on top (with some grilled paprika tortillas on the side).