Adventures

Oct 6, 2008

Corn & Chili Soup

I'd been eying Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian for some time. No, the book isn't new. I just haven't gotten that far down my cookbook list at the library. After receving a comment from Crescent on the blog, I ran out and got a used copy right away, no more waiting. I should note that I don't often buy new books. I head straight for used books as a rule, even on my Christmas wish list given to S and family - USED ONLY is written at the top.

The book is amazing and my favorite part is that she provides ideas for variations. So S took encouragement from the variation and varied it again. A variation on a variation. The original recipe is actually a sauce, Salsa Poblano Blanca & Verde. Crescent's variation in the sidebar is Green Chile Two-Corn Chowder. S made her own variation on this chowder and it was delicious.

The main variation is that our version was not vegetarian. We omitted the carrot from the original recipe and the potato and cheddar cheese from Crescent's variation. We used the roasted Anaheims from the farmer's market instead of poblanos. Plus, we got to utilize the corn I roasted last month and had in the freezer and some herbed butter made with herbs from the garden. Our quantities are a little different too.

1 1/2 tsp herbed butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups homemade chicken broth
1 1/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup unbleached, AP flour
4 roasted and peeled Anaheim peppers
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 cups roasted corn kernels
1 can hominy (posole), rinsed and drained
salt & pepper to taste

In your soup pot, heat the butter on medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook just a few minutes more. Add the broth/stock of your choice, lower the heat, and simmer with the pot half covered about ten minutes.

While the pot is simmering, add flour and evaporated milk to the food processor and blend until smooth. Add the roasted Anaheims and the cilantro and pulse until the mixture is chunky with bits of peppers. Take a ladeful of the hot broth and add it to the food processor and blend for a few seconds. Pour the whole milk/pepper/cilantro mixture into the soup pot and gently reheat to just under a simmer. You can whisk at this point, to aid in the thickening. When you see couple of lazy bubbles, add the corn and combine. Once the corn is heated and the whole pot is hot, you might need to reseason for salt and pepper. Serve immediately. You can garnish with more cilantro or crumbled queso fresco or even additional fresh green chili.

2 comments:

Sophie said...

What a tasty soup. I love how everything's homemade! :)

vb said...

sophie, it was really good. Better the next day. Crescent's book is wonderful. Full of inspiration.

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