Creamy Corn and Chipotle Soup and bonus recipe: Corn Stock

1 – 2 pints corn stock (recipe follows)

1 large carrot

½ red bell pepper

1 large starchy potato

1 peeled onion

small handful of sliced leek

5 peeled cloves garlic

smoked paprika

freshly ground nutmeg

salt

black peppercorns

6 bay leaves

parsley stems

½ cup cream cheese

½  - 1 chipotle pepper, with adobo

2 tablespoons buttermilk

canned, fresh, or frozen corn kernels

For the corn stock:

cobs from 6 – 8 ears of corn

1 onion, peeled and cut in half

3 or 4 bay leaves

parsley stems

salt

black peppercorns

Chuck all ingredients into a pressure cooker. If you enclose the bay, stems, and peppercorns in a cheesecloth packet, they will be easier to remove later. Add enough water to just cover everything, or maybe submerge by ¼ inch. Lock the lid onto the cooker.

Bring cooker to full pressure and keep it there for 15 – 20 minutes.  Depressurize naturally or with quick release. Remove leaves, stems, and peppercorns. Use now or decant into appropriate container(s) to refrigerate or freeze for later.

On to the soup:

Cut the carrot, onion, and potato into large chunks. Crush the garlic cloves.

Place the vegetables into the pressure cooker with the paprika, nutmeg, bay leaves, parsley stems, salt and black pepper (if using ground). If you enclose the bay, stems, and whole peppercorns in a cheesecloth packet, they will be easier to remove later.

Add enough corn stock, with some water if necessary, to cover all of the veg. by about ¼ inch. Put on the lid and bring to full pressure. Cook for 15 minutes.

When you’ve released the pressure and you can open the cooker, remove the cheesecloth packet, or the bay leaves and stems floating around in there.

Add the chipotle pepper, adobo, cream cheese, buttermilk and some corn kernels. Pulverize with an immersion blender. Taste and correct seasonings. If you want the soup thicker, add more cheese and corn kernels. Add an additional large handful of corn kernels and keep them whole.

I suggest any or all of the following as toppings: avocado, squeeze of lime, small steamed shrimp, crushed tortilla chips, chopped scallion, a splash of buttermilk,  a dollop of Greek yogurt, sour cream, or crema, gratings of almost any cheese.