Spicy Sweetcorn Soup

Deborah

Healthy comforting soup with smoky spicy heat from chipotle, sweet from sweetcorn, and a bit of crunch from peppers.

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Soup, Starter

Cuisine British

Servings 4 to 6 people

2 tsp vegetable oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 red pepper deseeded and diced
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 sweet potato finely diced
3 tsp chipotle paste (see Notes)
1 tsp ground cumin
a bunch of coriander stems and leaves separated and chopped
700g frozen sweetcorn
400g tin chopped tomatoes
1l hot chicken or vegetable stock (see Bikers’ Tip below)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
75g smoked back bacon trimmed of fat and cut into fine strips (see Bikers’ Tip below)

Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a large saucepan or casserole on a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and fry them gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the garlic and sweet potato. Stir for 1 minute. Add 2 tsp of the chipotle paste and the cumin and stir to coat the vegetables.
Add the chopped coriander stems and sweetcorn, then pour in the tomatoes and stock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring the soup to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender.
Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a small frying pan and fry the bacon for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the chipotle paste (see Notes below) and stir until the bacon is coated in the chipotle. Ladle half the soup into a blender and blitz it to a purée, then tip it back into the saucepan with the rest. Alternatively, use a stick blender to whizz the soup so it thickens but still has some texture. Serve in deep bowls garnished with the chipotle bacon strips and some of the chopped coriander leaves…oh, and some bread and butter on the side (optional)!

Turns out I only had 2 tsp of chipotle paste left in the jar when making the soup, so I used a tsp of chipotle chilli flakes for coating the bacon at step 3 - they worked really well and gave a lovely smoky spice to the bacon garnish.
This spicy sweetcorn soup recipe is easily adapted if you’re cooking for less or more people.

For a vegetarian version, use veggie stock and garnish the soup with smoked tofu instead of bacon. Buy the firm tofu so you can crisp it up nicely before adding it to the soup.