Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Sunday Soup #20: Mexican Street Corn Soup

This recipe came from: http://stripedspatula.com/2016/07/28/mexican-street-corn-soup/


*Pic 1 - http://stripedspatula.com/2016/07/28/mexican-street-corn-soup/

My Variations from Recipe as Written: I took several big liberties with this recipe... I doubled the recipe. I used olive oil (when it gave me a choice between olive or vegetable oils) and chicken stock (when it gave me a choice between chicken or vegetable broth). I used frozen corn instead of fresh, for the sake of pure expediency (and, as such, did not follow the instruction regarding the corn cobs). And, I added 1/2 pound of shredded chicken and 1/2 pound of shredded turkey, because I felt like the soup needed more bulk and certainly some protein.

General Thoughts: The flavor of this soup was deceptively deep and complex; helped by its garnishment, certainly, but very flavorful on its own. The addition of the protein (the shredded chicken and turkey) was a huge positive! It made the soup feel really substantial, as well as adding greatly to the overall flavor profile.



*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

The soup was fairly simple to make, helped out by using frozen instead of fresh corn and buying pre-cooked, pre-shredded chicken and turkey from the deli section. Overall, it was pretty straightforward, so I have no tips or commentary regarding the prep, really, other than what I have already shared.

I garnished with the recommended corn mixture, but felt like mine needed to be a little spicier (what else is new?!), so in addition to the other recommended garnishes (cilantro and cotija cheese), I used sour cream, Sriracha, and jarred jalapeños (which gave it a vinegary twang that I felt like the soup was missing). Finally, I crumbled tortilla chips into my bowl, which finished it off nicely.

Polling the Fam: I made this one for a large crowd again, so some good opinions.  I thought this was a solid addition and would make it again, in the form described above as a main dish or without the chicken/turkey as a nice soup course for a Mexican meal. However, the soup needs more spice (without garnishment) to make it "great". Becky thought it was good, and she would eat it again, although she thought it needed a bit more spice. Hunter felt similarly, saying he really liked it and that it was flavorful, but not as spicy as desired, and the tortilla chips were a "must". Jayson liked it very much and was very glad it had chicken/turkey, adding that he was happy he added a bit of Tabasco to his bowl. Andrew said "Really good. Quality, quality, quality." He said the meat was his favorite part of the soup and that it worked very well; he thought the broth acted like a very rich sauce for the meat. Finally, Lisa thought it was good but that it was missing some flavor note, although she couldn't put her finger on what specifically; she suggested some canned mild diced green chiles. She also added that the pieces of shredded chicken were too big so dicing a traditionally cooked boneless chicken breast or shredding it smaller would have helped.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

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