corn & tomato chowder with basil

i recently started volunteering at the portland farmers market, which might actually be my favorite place in portland. it's enormous, meaning there's a wonderful diversity in produce and that you can be as choosy as you want about what you buy, and always exudes a palpable feeling of well-being. recently, being there has made me get way too excited about fall, filling my head with dreams of leaf-peeping and sweater wearing and apple picking and cool, sunny days (is it glaringly obvious that i grew up in connecticut?). a waste of mental energy, since it's only a matter of time until we realize the harsh realities of portland "autumn," also known as "freezing rainy leaf sludge fest." (my housemate's car got flooded last night as we were on our way to a party and the engine is now dead. it's too early in the school year for this kind of thing to be happening.)

but, and there is a but, what has truly surprised me is the force with which the pacific northwest is still churning out late summer produce. when i left new york, berries were long gone, peaches were petering out and melons were finishing up. the portland farmers market, though, is still brimming with strawberries--really--and the tomatoes and peaches are still going strong, despite the sudden pervasion of (wonderful) apples.

which brings me to this soup. despite having spent the better part of last night standing in the rain waiting for the (unusually chatty and slow-moving) AAA tow truck driver to arrive and schlep us home, i will persist with my seasonal denial because my freezer is currently stocked full of what just might be the corniest chowder i've ever had. alongside traditional yellow corn i also threw in a few beautiful ruby red ears, which look startlingly like pomegranate arils when stripped off the cob. studded with cherry tomatoes, thick with potatoes and crowned with basil, the real stroke of brilliance here is the final hit of lime juice: just enough to make everything sparkle. even more surprising is that it's vegan. as in, a chowder which relies only on the natural starchy pulp from corn to thicken it. (full disclosure: the original recipe suggests sautéeing your alliums in butter, which i did, but it could easily be swapped for olive oil.)
i've also made the change of puréeing a few cups of soup at the end to lend more body to the broth, because there was sort of a strange disparity between the considerable potato/corn heft at the bottom of the pot and the seemingly overwhelmed "soup." i would definitely recommend the blending, as it adds even more creaminess to the finished product (and you don't even need cream! insanity!!!). a final hit of lime in the individual serving bowls is also not a bad idea.
corn, tomato & basil chowder
adapted from melissa clark for the new york times
makes 6 servings

• 6 ears corn, shucked
• 2 tbsps unsalted butter or olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (you might need less if your broth is very salty, err on the side of caution and adjust at the end)
  
• 1 lbs waxy potatoes (red or yukon gold are good), cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• juice of 1/2 lime
• crème fraîche or sour cream, for serving (optional)

slice corn kernels off cob and place in a bowl. (my note: i always do this in a big mixing bowl, as attempting to do it on a cutting board will freckle your entire floor with stray kernels, guaranteed.) run the back of a knife along each cob to remove additional corn pulp. add pulp to bowl; reserve cobs.
in a medium soup pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat (or warm olive oil). stir in onion, shallot and garlic. cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

add broth, reserved cobs, 1 cup water and 1 tsp salt to pot. bring to a boil over high heat. immediately reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes. add potatoes and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes longer. remove cobs and discard.

stir in corn kernels and pulp, tomatoes, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper. simmer for 20 minutes more. stir in the basil (i reserved a little for garnishing) and lime juice. remove roughly 2 1/2 cups of soup and blend until smooth, working in batches if you need to as hot liquid expands in the blender. return to pot, stir to incorporate. if the consistency is not yet to your liking, blend additional soup for a thicker broth. turn off heat and let soup cool for at least 15 minutes before serving. serve warm with a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream, if using, or with reserved basil and an additional hit of lime.