Serves6
- Active time:35 min
- Start to finish:35 min
May 2008
Don’t be turned off because this soup is actually good for you. The secret to the silky texture of this soup is oatmeal. Rolled oats have their own starch and give body and creaminess when blended, adding extra fiber to your diet as well.
For red-pepper sauce
-
2
red bell peppers (1 lb total)
-
1
tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
-
1/4
teaspoon
fresh lemon juice
-
1/4
teaspoon
hot sauce, or to taste
-
1/2
teaspoon
fine sea salt
For soup
-
4
ears of corn
-
1
medium onion, chopped
-
2
teaspoons
extra-virgin olive oil
-
5
cups
water
-
1/4
cup
rolled oats
-
2
teaspoons
fine sea 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.”
-
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 (use caution when blending hot liquids), 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.
Cooks’ note: Soup and sauce keep separately, covered and chilled, 3 days.