Soup? Yum. Natural Flavor? Betrayal.

Yesterday we wrote about beloved TOAST. Today, I figured we should continue the trend of delicious, comforting one-syllable food groups. Why not. So today, I bring you...SOUP.  

But first, a little information. 


We here at Michael Stuart NY pride ourselves on our use of fresh, local, sustainable ingredients.  I know these terms have become rather fashionable these days, but here in our kitchen -- it's just what we do. 


You know what we don't do? Trick you. You know who does trick you? That dirty liar MSG.


YES I KNOW. That's all we've been hearing about lately. But yesterday, those three little letters really got my goat.


Yesterday I was freezing. I know that it's winter in NYC and this is just what happens. But yesterday after spending a mere 10 minutes outside, it literally took a good 15 minutes before circulation returned to my fingertips. Perhaps I should get that checked out...


Once I regained the use of my appendages, the only logical thing to do was to have some SOUP.  Yes, wonderful, delicious, body-warming soup.


Now, I happened to have just read a rather creepy article about MSG, so as I went through my cabinets of various organic soups, I took note of its existence in almost EVERYTHING. In secret names of course. Secret names like: hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, and yes...NATURAL FLAVORING. Give me a break. Actually, here is a link to all secret names:   http://www.msgmyth.com/hidename.htm


Oh MSG, you sneaky little bastard. You migraine causing, stomach hurting, heart burdening, asthma inducing, mood swinging bastard. GET OUT OF MY SOUP.


So, what's my point in all this? Well, it's obviously impossible to avoid all bad things. Impossible and certainly not any fun. But the folks at Michael Stuart NY would like to keep you satisfied...and safe. And, unfortunately for both of us, you cannot eat in the Michael Stuart NY kitchen every day. But what you CAN do is remember that cooking your own food is the easiest and most enjoyable way to know what you're eating. 


And SOUP happens to be one of the easiest (and clearly most delicious) snacks/meals to make.

The one I made last night came from the cool folks at Post Punk Kitchen (link on pic).


And here's one from our very own kitchen. And no, you don't have to use fancy tea cups.


Sweet Corn Soup

fresh or frozen organic corn

chicken stock

thyme

toppings:

smoked bacon

shallots

corn starch 

To make the soup:

If using fresh corn, shuck it and cut the corn off the cob with a serrated knife.  

Put corn kernels in a small pot with chicken stock or broth, and thyme.  The chicken broth should cover the corn by about 1 inch. Save some broth for blending.  Simmer corn until the liquid is just covering the corn. Pour into a blender. Season and puree until until smooth adding a little extra broth at a time to reach desired consistency.

To make the toppings:

Cook the bacon in a pan, oven or microwave until crispy. Drain on paper towels and chop. 

Heal olive oil on high heat in skillet (enough to cover bottom). 

Slice shallots as thin as possible. Put corn starch in a small bowl and season with salt, pepper, and paprika (smoked is the best). Add the shallots and toss until shallots are coated with cornstarch mixture.  Shake off extra cornstarch and shallow fry the shallots until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels. 

Fill bowl with soup and sprinkle with chopped bacon and crispy shallots.

If you'd like to do the fancy little red dots, add a few drops of paprika oil.