It has been freezing in LA (yes anything below 70 is freezing to me), and if you are anything like me than I bet you are craving a nice bowl of hot steamy soup. Soups are one of my favorite things to cook in the winter and early spring. They keep in the fridge for a while and can be packed the next day for my son and husband’s lunch. I keep them warm by packing them in a thermos, like this one. The recipe below I got from my mama. She makes an incredibly delicious sopa de elote for us everytime we visit her in Oaxaca. The sweetness of the corn and richness of the milk make this the perfect pairing (and because a glass of milk provides 8 grams of high quality protein, it makes me feel like I’m eating healthy ;)) Make sure you get great quality corn when you are at the market, these will make world of a difference when making the soup. If you opt for lactose free milk, cook the milk for only 7 minutes after you’ve stir it in. Remove from heat and cover for another 5.

And do go that extra mile to fry up those epazote leaves, the flavor and crispiness of both the fried epazote leaves and croutons elevates the flavor of the soup to a whole other level.

Hope you all enjoy this recipe. It is definitely a classic that I grew up eating at home and reminds me of my childhood. Also, this post was created in partnership with the California Milk Processor Board. They asked I spread the great news a bout their new Moo Money consumer loyalty program . Beginning January 28, 2019 and running through April 28, 2019, eligible California consumers who register online at www.moomoney.com can immediately begin earning valuable points for every $1 spent towards a qualifying purchase of real dairy milk. So whenever you buy real milk, all you have to do is snap a picture of your receipt and submit it to www.moomoney.com to receive points into your account. Once you reach enough points, you will be able to convert those points into Virtual Reward Cards, which will be delivered to you via a link to a Virtual Reward Card PDF. The Virtual Reward Cards can be used anywhere MasterCard is accepted at any time prior to June 1, 2019. YES! money for milk. So get to our local grocer and stock up for this and many more creations I will be sharing in the weeks to come! Oh, and please do not forget to tag me on your creations. Would love to see what your sopas look like!

knives: 8” Global chef knife

Pots: ScanPan CS+ Saucepan

Cutting Board: Sur La Table Bamboo Cutting Board

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add vegetable oil and butter until butter has melted and fully incorporated into the oil. Add corn kernels, onion and garlic. Over medium heat, stir constantly until fragrant and kernels reach a semi translucent color and tender, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in milk. Allow to cook for 15 minutes under medium heat, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Remove 3 tablespoons of corn kernels with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Pour the saucepan ingredients in the blender and puree until it has reached a smooth and creamy consistency. Return to saucepan and simmer over medium heat. Mix in the reserved kernels. When serving, garnish the plate with fried epazote leaves and croutons.

SOPA DE ELOTES

Serves 4

1 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

4 cups fresh off the cob corn kernels

½ yellow onion, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 ¼ cups of milk

Salt and pepper to taste.

For garnish:

9 epazote leaves, fried

Cornbread croutons