Makes 8 cups

1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/2 hot chili pepper, sliced
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons bacon fat
8 ears of Jersey white corn
1/2 gallon milk
1 cinnamon stick
Salt and black pepper, to taste
 
Chop and sauté the garlic, onion and chili in bacon fat. Add 1 bay leaf and cook 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove kernels from 8 ears of corn with a sharp knife. Reserve kernels and cobs.

Add kernels to onion-garlic-chili mix and sauté 10 minutes.

In another pot, add cobs, milk, other bay leaf and cinnamon stick and simmer 30 minutes. Season corn mix and cob stock with salt and pepper to taste. Remove cobs from pot and add stock to corn mix. Simmer 10 minutes.

Remove bay leaves and cinnamon stick, and remove soup from heat. Once cool, puree soup in small batches until frothy and smooth. Strain through a fine sieve if desired and serve garnished with roasted tomatillo salsa.

 

 

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

 

Makes 2 cups

 

20 tomatillos (approximate)

2 medium-hot peppers (like jalapenos)

1 hot chili (like habanero or Thai bird)

1 tablespoon fennel seed

1 tablespoon cumin seed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup hoja santa, roughly chopped*

1 lime, juiced and zested

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Place tomatillos and peppers in ovenproof pan. Add cumin and fennel, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven on top rack and roast for 25 minutes or until tomatillos look blistered and pulpy.

 

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Blend in blender with lime juice, lime zest and hoja santa till desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste, serve immediately or transfer to airtight container. The salsa will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer forever.

 

*If your can't find hoja santa (aka Mexican pepperleaf aka root beer plant) cilantro and basil both make nice alternates.

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