I love the beach, which is odd for someone who can’t swim. I love the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean. I love the feeling of warm sand between my toes. I love the touch of the cold water when you first dip in, and how it slowly gets warm as your body acclimates. I love watching kids play. I love just being there. The beach gives me solace, and all of my little worries and frustrations dissipate. The infinite horizon of the water reminds me that the earth is vast and that my little self is lucky to be in it.

One of our family beach trips this summer was in Santa Cruz. We spent some time at the boardwalk, which was one thing I had never really done. My son and I took the trip with my mom, my two sisters and their kids. It was terrific and the kids really enjoyed it. My attention, though, was drawn to the food scene. There were so many food stalls…ranging from barbecue to burgers, churros to ice cream, foot-long corn dogs to tacos. But the one thing that caught my attention was the grilled corn. All dressed up with mayo, lime, parmesan cheese, and chili powder, this cob was well worth a fifteen minute wait… at six American dollars a pop… three times in one calendar day!

Corn is my favorite summer crop. I grew up on corn. Some of my fond childhood memories involve corn. My grandfather would take us on long drives during the summer in his 1970 VW Beetle, which my mother still owns to this day. These drives would consist of stories and life instructions from my grandpa, as it was his way of finding out what we were up to as kids. During these drives we would pass by acres and acres of cornfields, and there were always steamed or grilled corn vendors on the road. It was an inexpensive and delicious treat. We always stopped and ate until we were stuffed.

Making my grandmother’s corn soup is one of the things I do to celebrate the beauty of summer. It’s a recipe consisting of a little oil, garlic, onions, corn, and broth…garnished with spinach. It is the simplest thing, but absolutely divine to me. There’s magic in the memory of my grandmother making the soup, and in the process of making it myself, I honor her memory. She didn’t have an electric blender, so she used a box cheese grater to get the puréed consistency of the corn. I helped her many times in making this soup when I was a kid and this was possibly my favorite dish growing up. I own blenders now-different types, even-but I still use a box grater when I make this corn soup at home. It’s a habit I am not willing to give up yet.

I made my Grandmother’s corn soup the other night for two reasons: corn was on sale: five ears for $1, and, more importantly, my fighting spirit needed to be revived. Making and eating her soup fixed me up just right. She was always capable of making me feel good, and it’s amazing how 33 years after her death she could still somehow take care of me.

Last weekend for Labor Day my son and I had an opportunity to visit my family in Northern California. I made the corn soup for my family along with other favorites. I think that they too were revived from whatever little things that were troubling them unknowingly at the moment. For a brief second, we were all quiet, which is unusual for my family…just sipping on some delicious corn soup.

 

 Nanay’s Corn Soup

Serves 6

5 fresh ears of corn, off the husk, silk removed

4 cups of corn stock

1 tbsp. grape seed oil or canola oil

¼ cup chopped yellow onions

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 bunch fresh spinach

Grate the corn kernels off the cob using a box cheese grater; place the grater on a mixing bowl to catch the grated corn. Reserve the cobs for stock.

To make the stock: place the grated corn cobs in a 2-quart stock pot, add 4 cups of water and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the cobs and set aside the stock.

Heat up the oil in a 2-quart stockpot on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent but not brown. Add the garlic to the pot and cook just until fragrant. Pour the grated corn to the stockpot and stir. Add the corn stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, and add the spinach. Serve while hot.

Simply Grilled or Boiled Corn

5 ears of corn

Melted butter

Salt and pepper

To grill: Place corn on the grill and cook for about 15 minutes, turning every couple of minutes. Remove the husks and silk. Brush the corn with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.

To boil: shuck the corn and remove silk. Place the corn in a large pot of boiling water. Cook the corn covered over medium for about 7 minutes. Remove the corn from the pot using a pair of tongs, brush with butter and season with salt and pepper.

Try a taste of Mexican Street Corn by basting it with mayo, then sprinkling with grated parmesan cheese, a touch of cayenne or chili powder, and a squeeze of lime wedge. It’s a real treat.