- 1 pound yellow summer squash
- 2 ears corn
- 3 large shallots
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 1 fresh jalapeño chile
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 1/2 cups water
- Garnish: corn kernels, chopped fresh jalapeño chiles, fresh cilantro leaves, sour cream, and thinly sliced yellow summer squash
- Cut summer squash crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Shuck corn and, working over a bowl, cut kernels from cobs. Halve cobs. Chop shallots and mince garlic. Wearing rubber gloves, chop chile, with seeds if desired.
- In a 5-quart heavy kettle combine all ingredients (including cobs) except water and cook over moderate heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Stir in water and simmer mixture until squash is very tender, about 15 minutes. Discard cobs. In a blender puree mixture in batches until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to another bowl. Season soup with salt and pepper. Divide soup between 2 bowls and garnish with corn, chiles, cilantro, small dollops of sour cream, and squash.