It has been a very hectic Spring and Summer here at the Homestead, not just the usual busy gardening season (which is now winding down), but we have had a lot of excitement with the construction of a new garage as well as a 3 Season Room addition to the Homestead. Exciting, but also anxiety filled when dealing with a contractor, glad that part is now behind us! Now that the structures are up and usable it is time to get back to doing what I love, crafting and cooking!
We had a lovely hot, dry summer and the pepper garden exploded with produce as a result. I have already pickled quite a few jalapenos, chopped and froze gypsy peppers, roasted poblano peppers and new this year is pickling pepperoncini peppers and making my own hot sauce for hubby (more on those two in later posts), but lets jump back a step to the poblano peppers.
Poblanos are my favourite pepper, their flavour is so vastly different from any other pepper, with just a mild tingle of heat. They are a staple in Mexican cuisine and a staple in my kitchen.
I had 2 corn cobs leftover from the weekend in the fridge and needed to use them up before they got starchy (corn cobs left too long see the natural sugars in the corn turn into starch, then the corn becomes unappetizing and tough) and I had just picked 8 poblano peppers to roast so I thought hmmm…why not make a soup out these two lovely candidates? Corn goes well with Poblanos so I pulled out some frozen chicken stock from the freezer and got to work.
The result? A savoury and delightful soup packed with great flavour!
Ingredients
6 Poblano Peppers, roasted, peeled, de-seeded and roughly chopped
2 ears of sweet corn, roasted or grilled and kernels cut from the cob
2.5 cups of chicken stock (for a vegetarian option, use veggie stock)
3 Tbsp butter (or Olive Oil)
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, mashed
1/4 chopped cilantro stems (reserve some leaves for garnish)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste at the end)
Crema, Crème Fresh, Yogurt or Sour Cream for garnish
Dash of hot sauce (optional)
Directions
In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt butter and sweat onions until soft and translucent (about 7 to 8 minutes). Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
Add flour and stir to combine. Add chicken stock (or veggie stock if using) and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add poblanos, corn, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, blitz soup to desired consistency (or use a regular blender, careful transferring soup contents as they will be hot!).
Place soup back on low heat and add the lime juice and adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve with a dollop of crema (or your preferred option listed above), hot sauce and fresh cilantro.
Buen Provecho!
Makes 6 servings
Deborah