Because I live in a temperate area of the globe, much of the “height” of summer produce doesn’t arrive here until quite late in the season. Last week at the farmer’s market, we scored some super fresh ears of corn. We’re talking mere hours after they’d been picked. I didn’t have them on my shopping list, but I had to have them. There is nothing like the sweet, crisp flavour of freshly picked corn.
When I was a kid, my parents grew bicolour corn in our small garden. My mother was adamant that the corn be picked no sooner then when the pot of water began to boil. If it was picked any earlier than that, the corn would quickly begin to lose sugar, a process I like to call starchification (FYI, not a real word). This is technically not true nowadays, though. Corn hybridization has made the sugars in some varieties of corn very high. In the industry, the higher sugar varieties are known as Sugary Extender (se) and Supersweet (sh2), which includes the infamous Peaches & Cream and my favourite, Honey ‘N Pearl. These varieties can be stored from as little as 2 days to as much as 10 days.
I still prefer to eat it as soon as I can get my hot little hands on it, or cook it and freeze for a later date, which is exactly what I did for this recipe. Obviously, frozen corn is cheap and abundant, so this soup could be made all year round. I’m a bit of a food snob though, and prefer my produce fresh (or frozen at the peak of freshness) and eaten as soon as possible.
As the summer draws to a close (tomorrow September 22 at 5:18 pm EDT!), I’d like to leave you with this final taste of those warm summer nights. But as the end of summer and the beginning of fall are the same day, I’m celebrating with a little bit of both. A light, summery soup served with some hot from the oven biscuits, perfect for cold fall evenings! They pair beautifully together, and these biscuits are versatile enough for any soup.
Corn & Black Bean Soup with Spinach & Feta Biscuits
1 Large Vidalia Onion (or other sweet onion)
3 cobs of sweet corn (cooked and kernels removed, which is about 4 cups of corn)
1 red pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 19oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
4 key limes, juiced (or 1 regular lime)
1 L sodium reduced chicken broth (or homemade)
1 avocado, diced
1. Sauté onions, garlic and red pepper in canola oil until browned (you want that caramelization for flavour.) Add cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.
2. Add beans & corn. Continue to sauté for another 5 minutes.
3. Add stock, bring to boil. Reduce to simmer. Add lime juice.
4. Add cilantro and stir in, removing from heat.
5. Serve with avocado and biscuits (recipe follows).
Spinach & Feta Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
Fresh cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg
175g feta cheese, crumbled
200 g spinach, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced very fine
3 stalks green onion, chopped1. In a large sauté pan, sauté spinach, garlic and green onions until softened. Add basil at very end and remove from heat.
2. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
3. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender.
4. Combine the buttermilk, oil and egg in a separate bowl. Whisk together until completely combined.
5. Combine the milk/egg mix with the flour. Gently, stir in the spinach mixture, feta cheese and pepper.
6. Spoon into greased muffin tin (should make an equal dozen).
7. Bake at 375°F for 22- 25 minutes.
8. Serve warm with your delicious soup.
What a perfect dinner! My kiddo would even go for this one.
.-= Lori @ RecipeGirl´s last blog ..Caramelized Apple Tart in a Browned Butter Custard =-.
Yum… Love the flavors in the soup. I love black beans and corn together. With cumin, cilantro, and lime, I’m sure it’s amazing. The biscuits sound delicious, too!
.-= Jen @ My Kitchen Addiction´s last blog ..Friday Favorites – Episode 26 =-.
Oh my, this sounds wonderful.
Another winner! Nothing like soup after a long day at work. The biscuits were really good. We ended up finishing them off the next day first thing in the morning.. mmmm
You’re giving away all my guilty secrets!
That’s some fine eatin’. I think I’ll try it this week. The biscuit and soup combo is downright irresistible to me.
.-= Irina @ PastryPal´s last blog ..Orange Lace Cookies =-.
Your soup looks delicious (and healthy), but those spinach & feta biscuits are calling my name. Count me in for biscuits at breakfast, I bet they’d make a great breakfast sandwich stuffed with scrambled eggs.
.-= Margie´s last blog ..Serious Pie: Pizza Margherita =-.
Margie, you’re killing me! Now I have to make more to make breakfast sandwiches.
First those yummalicious bars, now this. Elizabeth, you are awesome!
Love the photos, BTW! Esp. the 4th to last one w. the juicer…
Great post!
P.S. put you on my blogroll…
.-= Kamran Siddiqi ´s last blog ..Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. Oh, The Possibilities… =-.
Thanks Kamran! Much appreciated with the blogroll link!
Lovely photos! That soup looks so good and those biscuits would be eaten in our house in no time.
.-= Cookin’ Canuck´s last blog ..Cinnamon-Scented Toasted Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts Recipe =-.
Yup, those biscuits were gone in about 5 minutes.
I want to cook this like right now!
.-= Irene´s last blog ..Chocolate Cupcakes with Strawberry Buttercream =-.
Oh, lordy, a few minutes ago, I was fine and dandy with my canned Campbell’s. Now I can’t believe I ingested that stuff!!
.-= lalaine´s last blog ..The Tale of Two Mexican Salsas =-.
I am not a big fan of beans BUT Im sold on the spinanch & feta biscuit!
.-= penny aka jeroxie´s last blog ..What does bacon & maple syrup have in common? =-.
Your photos are stunning!
.-= FRESH LOCAL AND BEST´s last blog ..PAPAYA ENZYME TABLETS =-.
Thank you! What a compliment.
Oh scrumptious! I love a warm soup on a cold day…and we got our first snow today. It lasted all of 5 minutes, but absolutely perfect for something like corn and black bean soup!! Looks fabulous.
And thanks for the thumbs on the HealthyYum photo. Looking at your photos, that’s truly a compliment!
.-= Mary´s last blog ..Breaking 100 =-.
Snow already??! Crazy talk…I can’t wait!
I loved your eggplant pics, and you have some amazing photos too lady. Don’t be so humble!
Sounds… just… perfect! You’re getting pretty darned good at solving my food dilemmas – this week, a craving for a healthy soup I can savour for a couple days at work – though I doubt hubby will save me any!
So glad I can help you and the hubs out Nadia! Enjoy your soup.
Wow ! Delicious and yummy ! Thank you for sharing. Cheers !
.-= sizzlechef´s last blog ..Bean Curd .Carrot .Fishball Pearl Rice =-.
I love everything about this meal! especially the biscuits!! mmmm
.-= Nicole´s last blog ..Biggest Loser Time! =-.
these photos are beautiful!
the soup looks very tasty, i think i could easily hv 2 or 3 biscuits to go with the soup!
The recipe looks delicious but is a bit of a mess. Several steps have been left out in the soup recipe (like when to add the lime and spices) and the bicuit recipe ingredients call for baking POWDER but the recipe directions say baking SODA. Fortunately I was able to make the adjustments while cooking and baking to get things right (I hope).
Oh no! I hate when that happens. It must have been a late night when I was writing that out. I have fixed the recipe now. I hope everything turns out for you!
The soup sounds so good, but it’s those biscuits that got my attention. They look wonderful. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
.-= Michelle´s last blog ..Use your blog =-.
What a great combo of flavors. It looks so tasty!
.-= gaga´s last blog ..Chao Mi Fen =-.
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