Corn soup is popular in the Caribbean, including the island of Trinidad. This Trinidadian version was shared with us by Alistair, who is known to all as JD. He’s the owner of Socafro Kitchen, his street food business in Waterford City that serves Caribbean and Nigerian takeaway food. The cuisine combination is a result of JD’s heritage: his mum is from Trinidad and his dad is from Nigeria. The name Socafro, on the other hand, is a combination of his favourite music: Caribbean soca music and Afro beats. Born in England, JD grew up in Lagos, where his mum and sister taught him how to cook. ‘My mother taught me how to blend and meld national dishes from these two continents into one scrumptious meal. I set up this business as I realised that cooking comes naturally to me. I can cook for days. Your gift is what you can do with the least amount of effort, right?’ JD is one of those people who immediately imprints on your memory, as his personality is as big and infectious as his smile. This is one of his favourite Trinidadian soups and we guarantee that once you taste it, it will be a favourite of yours too.
Serves 6
900g fresh corn kernels (about 4 cobs)
250ml chicken stock
2 tbsp butter
115g spring onions or fresh chives, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
½ tsp finely chopped garlic
750ml milk
1 tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground white pepper or hot pepper (Scotch bonnet, fresh red chilli pepper or a few dashes of chilli sauce), to taste
To serve:
chopped fresh parsley
toast soldiers
Shave the corn kernels off the cobs, then put them in a blender with the stock and blitz to a purée.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat. Add the spring onions or chives, sweet red pepper and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the corn purée and simmer for 15 minutes, still over a low heat.
Pour the milk into the pan and add the salt and pepper (whichever one you would like to use). Continue to cook for 10 minutes.
Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little chopped fresh parsley. Serve with toast soldiers on the side for dipping.
From Blasta Books 5: SOUP by Blanca Valencia, Dee Laffan and Mei Chin