Spicy Corn and Potato Soup with Lime & Quick Yogurt Biscuits

Yesterday in Osaka it was 95 degrees. Today it was rainy and around 75. Fall must have finally hit us, and it’s about time because I’ve been wanting to make soup for ages!! This is one of our favorite soup recipes. We made it several times last fall & winter after we saw the recipe in the April 2006 Gourmet. We (more than) halved the recipe and served it with Mark’s tangy yogurt biscuits.

Spicy Corn and Potato Soup with Lime:

1 1/2 TBS. olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 tsp. salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 water
a few handfuls of corn kernals (fresh if you have time, frozen if you don’t)
3 TBS. fresh lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro (but alas, we don’t have cilantro here)

• Heat oil in a pot over moderate heat until hot, but not smoking, then cook onion, jalapeño, salt, and pepper, stirring occasionally, until onion is pale golden, about 8 minutes.
• Add the broth, water, and potatoes and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, until potatoes are very tender, 12 to 14 minutes. Coarsely mash the potatoes in pot with a potato masher.
• Stir in corn and simmer, uncovered, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in lime, cilantro, and salt to taste. Garnish with avocado. Serve with either tortilla chips and wedges of lime or these biscuits.

Yogurt Biscuits:

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
4 TBS. butter (60 g), cut into bits
1/2 cup plain yogurt

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees (230 C).
• Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the bits of butter. Using your fingers, pick up some of the dry ingredients and rub them with the butter between your fingers (the fun part) and drop them again, until butter is thoroughly blended and the mixture looks crumbly.
• Stir in the yogurt with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens.
• Drop tablespoons of the dough onto a greased baking sheet and bake about 12 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. Serve with honey.