Rosie Makes Corn And Shrimp Soup.

It's cold outside,

so it's officially time for soup.

Corn and shrimp soup for the record.

I'll give you my recipe first,

then show you the step-by-steps.

Rosie's Corn And Shrimp Soup

4 ears of corn, shucked, kernels cut off, and cobs reserved

8 oz. shrimp, shelled and de-tracted, shells reserved  (That black line down the back is the digestive tract, not a vein, so de-tract, not de-vein, your shrimp.)

6 cups water

5 fresh bay leaves (I have a bay tree, so I always have fresh leaves.  Dried leaves are stronger, so if you're using dried, only use 2.  And if you want any baby bays, just let me know.)

1 TB peppercorns

3 TB unsalted butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, diced
1 cayenne pepper, minced

3 TB flour

1/2 cup skim milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

red and yellow pepper, chopped  (Enough to sprinkle on top, for color and taste.)

fresh thyme

green onions

 kosher salt, to taste

In a medium soup pot, heat 1 TB oil over medium high heat.  Sauté shrimp shells, stirring for about a minute (until they turn pink), then add cobs (I had 6.  I saved 2 from a previous meal.) and cook another minute or so.  Pour in 4 cups water, bring to simmer, and reduce heat, simmering for about 30 minutes.  Strain out shells and cobs and discard any solids.  Return liquid to pan (should be about a quart) and simmer until reduced to 3 cups liquid.  (Pour into measuring cup and hang on.)

In a food processor, purée half the kernels until smooth.

In the soup pot, melt the butter until foamy and add onions, celery, and cayenne.  Cook, stirring, about 5 minutes.  Add flour and cook, stirring, about 2 minutes to cook out the raw taste.  Slowly, stir in corn and shrimp stock and let thicken.  Stir in puréed kernels, milk, and cream and heat through.  Add in shrimp and remaining kernels and let shrimp cook, about 3-4 minutes.  Season with kosher salt, to taste.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with diced red and yellow pepper, chopped green onions, and thyme leaves.  Add chopped parsley and tarragon too if you're so inclined.

Now, for the step-by-steps:

First, find you some nice ears of corn.

Shuck and remove the silk.

Save the cobs for the stock.

Slice off the kernels, saving any milk.

Bunch of ingredients...

onion

celery

red and yellow pepper

bay leaves

green onions

thyme

parsley

tarragon

cayenne pepper

peppercorns

Clean the shrimp.

Here's an overview so you can see everything.

Heat up a little oil in the pan and add the shells.

Stir and squish.

Until pinkish.

Add in the corn cobs.

I had 6 cobs.

Two were saved from a previous meal.

Add in bay leaves, peppercorns, and water.

Bring to a simmer.

Strain out the corn/shrimp stock.

Discard the solids.

I put half my kernels in a processor and...

... processed until smooth.

I finely chopped this much onion and celery.

Heated butter until foamy,

then I added the chopped up cayenne pepper, celery, and onion.

Push it around for a few minutes.

Then add the flour.

Stirring and cooking.

Slowly add in the corn/shrimp stock.

Stir it and let it thicken.

Stir in the puréed corn sludge.

And then the corn kernels go in.

Add the cream/milk.

Stir to heat through.

Kosher salt to taste.

Finally add in the shrimp.

Cook until just opaque.

And serve!

Top with green onions, red and yellow diced pepper,

some thyme, parsley, and tarragon.

Corny!

Shrimpy!

Yummy!

I had some leftover the next day.

And I added crab meat.

And crab meat works quite nicely.

Enjoy!