Creamy Roasted Pablano Pepper Soup with Corn

I first had this soup at a local Mexican Restaurant. Unfortunately rest of the food was not very good, and they are the only restaurant in town who serve this soup.  That too they don't have this all the time. So I decided to make my own.  From my memory of the soup they had few kernel of corn in this soup, I decided to make it with corn but with more of a creamy texture.  Here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

• 5 big Pablano peppers
• 1 large green pepper
• 2 onions
• 8 cloves of garlic
• Some olive oil to brush on peppers

• 2 cups of vegetable stock, (you can make it from scratch, or buy a ready made veggie stock,  I used  2 vegetable bouillon cubes boiled in 2 cups of water.
• 4 cups of additional water
• 1 15 oz can of cream style corn 
• One bunch of cilantro, chopped and divided in  two parts one to add in the soup and another to be used for garnish)

•  8 oz of heavy cream

• 1 tablespoon of corn starch
• 8 oz of shredded sharp cheddar or Monterrey jack Cheese or pepper jack cheese, I used sharp cheddar.Shred and divide in two parts(one to put in soup and another half to be used for garnish)
• 1/2 jar of Mexican con queso (I used Monterrey Jack Cheese queso)
• Croutons and chopped green pepper for garnish if desired. 

• 2 table spoon of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds
• 1 tbl spoon of cumin powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon of salt

Method:

• Preheat oven at 450 degrees F
• Wash and dry all peppers and brush them with olive oil.
• Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Roast the peppers for 30 min.
• Then broil them on high for 5 min.
• Carefully take them out of oven and place them in glass container and cover them let them cool.

• While peppers are in oven you can prepare the veggies stock by adding two cups of water to 2 bouillon cubes and boil for 6 min until the cubes are dissolves set the stock aside.
• Peel and cut onion in to slices.
• Peel garlic.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 2  tablespoons of butter, when heated add cumin seeds.
• When seed crackle add onions and garlic.

 

•  Saute onions and garlic until caramelized brown.
• Add canned creamed corn.
• Cook on medium heat for 2-3 min,
• Add two cups of vegetable stock.
• Cook for 5 min

• Mix 1 tablespoon of corn starch in 8 oz of heavy cream and mix until all the lumps are gone, set aside.
• Simmer the veggie stock with cream corn and garlic onion on medium low heat. 

 

• In the mean time you can peel the skin off of cool roasted peppers.

• Peel the membrane like skin off of each pepper and take the seeds out and add the pepper flesh to the onions, garlic and corn simmering in veggie stock on stove. 
• Divide the cilantro bunch in two parts add one half to the onion corn garlc and stock along with roasted/ pepper flesh.

• Add heavy cream and corn starch mix and  two cups of water to the stock and take it off of stove.
• With hand blender puree the content in to creamy soup  texture.
• When completely pureed. Transfer it back to stove on medium low heat add 2 more cups of water and simmer it for 5 min.
• Add  half of the shredded cheese and queso, cook for another 2-5 min, stirring in between.

• When cheese is completely dissolved take it off the stove.
• Serve hot, use remaining of shredded cheese and another half of chopped cilantro for garnish and croutons if desired.
• Serve the soup by itself or with you favourite sandwich.  
• This time I served it with spicy veggie bean burgers

 

 

 

 

 Enjoy !!

 

 Recipe and Photographs by Surekha