Creamy Corn Soup

Sometimes the best meals are the simplest.  This dish is one of those- corn, onion, oats, and red pepper- simple, but so delicious.  This recipe was found here.

Ingredients:

FOR RED-PEPPER SAUCE

• 2 red bell peppers (1 lb total)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce, or to taste
• dash of salt

FOR SOUP

• 4 ears of corn  (or about 15 oz frozen, thawed, corn)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cups water
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• dash of salt
  

  
  

ROAST PEPPERS FOR SAUCE:

• Roast peppers on racks of gas burners on high, turning with tongs, until skins are blackened all over, 10 to 12 minutes. (Or broil peppers on rack of a broiler pan 5 inches from heat, turning occasionally, about 15 minutes.) Transfer to a bowl and let stand, covered, 10 minutes.

MAKE SOUP WHILE PEPPERS ROAST AND STAND:

• Cut kernels off cobs, then scrape cobs with knife to extract “milk.”  (Or defrost frozen corn in the microwave.)
• Cook onion in oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add corn with its “milk,” water, oats, and sea salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

FINISH RED-PEPPER SAUCE WHILE SOUP SIMMERS:

• Peel peppers (do not rinse), then halve lengthwise, discarding stems and seeds.
• Purée peppers in a blender with oil, lemon juice, hot sauce, sea salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper until very smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with hot sauce and salt, then transfer to a bowl

FINISH SOUP:

• Purée soup in 2 to 3 batches in cleaned blender until smooth (be careful!  it's hot!), then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl if desired. Reheat soup if necessary, then season with salt.
• Serve soup drizzled with some red-pepper sauce and serve remaining sauce on the side or reserve for another use.  (optional- what I did- top with some chopped fresh cilantro for garnish and taste)

* In the picture you'll see a little stuffed cherry tomato baked in some phyllo dough sheets in a mini-muffin tin.  I felt it my *duty* to use the phyllo dough that was in the freezer left over from making Christmas dinner.  I cut the tomatoes twice, opened, then stuffed them with toffuti cream cheese, mixed with chopped green oinion, soy sauce, and a little onion powder.  They made for a cute appetizer.