Roasted Poblano Pepper & Corn Soup

One of my favorite things about soups in the fall is how sweet and ripe all the veggies are at the peak of harvest, and they need the least amount of intervention. One thing that enhances their sweetness even more is roasting them and cooking them simply.

Roasted poblano peppers are great in a salsa, over tacos or in a soup. And since I’d picked up some poblanos the week prior from Dick’s Market Garden, and enjoyed them several ways during the week, I was inspired to share my take on a roasted poblano soup with the customers at the market last week.

With my ingredients from Dick’s Market Garden and Kelly’s Farm, I got to work, first roasting the poblanos and then one of the two ears of corn. I also used a couple of teaspoons of chocolate syrup from Shagbark Farms and some nitro coffee brew from Pourman’s Coffee Company wanting to add a mole like complexity to the soup with what was available at the market. You can always omit the chocolate and coffee; it was just an inspired twist at the market.

A couple of things I do at home, is make the soup stock using the corn cobs, and all the scraps from the veggies while I prep and sauté the ingredients. I also use a little corn masa slurry that helps thicken the soup, bringing the consistency into a smooth texture. And of course my version at home has a little more spice, control the spice kick as you desire.

The aroma of this soup cooking drew in the crowds, and from the reaction it tasted just as delicious as it smelled. And when Mr. Tamole the market’s authentic Mexican food cart vendor approved, I knew it could be a winner, wonder if Mama Tamole would approve?

Serve with a squeeze of lime, sliced avocado, some tortilla chips or a crispy cheddar quesadilla.

Serves 6-8

2 poblano peppers
2 ears of corn
½ orange pepper
½ large onion
2 tbsp. minced garlic
½ inch jalapeño pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro
4-6 cups of water or stock
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. chocolate syrup or unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tbsp. brewed nitro coffee
1½ tbsp. maple syrup
½ tbsp. cider vinegar
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground black pepper

1. Roast the poblano peppers and one ear of corn over a grill, gas flame or under the broiler
2. Cover the roasted peppers under a towel or in a paper bag to help steam the skin making it easier to peel while you prep the other veggies
3. Dice the onion and yellow pepper, chop the cilantro and mince the garlic and jalapeño
4. Shuck the corn off the cob by placing the ear in a bowl while holding it, run a knife along it’s length to remove the kernels into the bowl
5. Scrape the skin off the poblanos and chop them into small pieces, remove the seeds if you wish
6. Heat the oil in a deep stock pan, add the onions, garlic and orange pepper and stir fry for 5-7 minutes
7. When the onions are translucent, add the chopped poblanos, corn kernels, the salt and pepper and stir for about 7-8 minutes
8. Add half the water/stock and bring to a simmer, after the soup is heated through, use an immersion blender and roughly blend the soup, leaving some chunky pieces
9. Add the remaining water / stock and the vinegar, maple syrup, nitro coffee and chocolate syrup or cocoa and whisk, at this point you can also add the slurry of a couple of tbsp. of corn masa and let the soup come to a boil
10. Simmer for about 10 minutes, adjust any seasonings, add the cilantro and serve warm