Charred Corn And Poblano Soup Recipe

If soup is your go-to comfort food and you're looking for Mexican flavors, you'll love the rich and smoky essence of this charred corn and poblano soup, a delicious dish to bring to your table. Loaded with vegetables and aromatic seasonings, it's perfect for warming up on a chilly evening or serving as a satisfying meal.

Wellness coach and recipe developer Miriam Hahn brings us this recipe and says, "This soup comes together in less than an hour and tastes like its been simmering all day. Sometimes I use my outdoor grill for charring the corn and poblanos which is a great alternative when you want to take the cooking outside."

Whether you include this soup as a comforting component of a weeknight meal or as a festive Mexican recipe for your Cinco de Mayo party, it is sure to be a hit. So, grab an apron and let's get cooking!

To make this recipe, start in the produce aisle and pick up some corn on the cob, onion, garlic, poblano peppers, Yukon gold potatoes, and cilantro. "I love to get creative with toppings and often set up a toppings bar for my family to add whatever toppings they want. I like to include fresh and pickled jalapeños, avocados, diced red pepper, lime wedges, and tortilla chips for dipping," Hahn shares.

Next grab some vegetable broth and heavy cream for the base of the soup. If you want to make this soup vegan, just substitute either unsweetened coconut milk or unsweetened soy milk in place of the heavy cream.

Then check your spice and condiment cabinet for avocado oil, chili powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Mexican oregano is different from the common variety and adds a unique flavor to the soup.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Place the poblanos on a baking tray and bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to a large frying pan and bring the heat to medium high.

Add 4 ears of corn and cook for 15 minutes rotating frequently until all sides are charred. Repeat this process with the remaining 4 ears of corn. Set aside.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to a large pot and bring the heat to medium high.

Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 8 minutes.

Add the potatoes, chile powder, cumin, Mexican oregano, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

When the poblanos are done, remove from the oven and move to a cutting board. Peel the skin and remove seeds and stems. Chop the peppers.

Cut the corn off of the cobs and add it and the chopped poblano peppers to the soup.

Blend half of the soup, off heat, with an immersion blender.

Add the cream and return pot to the stove. Heat on low for 5 minutes.

Top with cilantro and serve hot.

In this recipe we have blended a portion of the soup using an immersion blender, which is the most convenient way. But it's important to do so safely to avoid the hot soup from splashing while blending. First, let the soup cool slightly before blending and make sure the blades are fully submerged in the soup. If your immersion blender has variable speeds, start blending at a low speed and gradually increase as needed to achieve the desired consistency.

Although there are many uses for an immersion blender, if you don't happen to have one a stand blender will work fine. With this method you will also want to make sure to let the soup cool down, then use a ladle to scoop out small amounts of the soup to blend in batches. Make sure to only fill the blender up to halfway because pressure created by blending hot liquid can potentially blow the blender's top off and splatter soup everywhere. If your blender has a vented lid, use it, or, alternatively, remove the center cap and cover the hole with a kitchen towel to allow steam to escape. Start blending at low speed and gradually increase as needed. Then go ahead and pour the blended soup back into the pot.

When it comes to cutting charred corn kernels off the cob after cooking them in a skillet, there are a few steps that will make this an easy task. Start by allowing the charred corn to cool slightly to make handling easier and avoid getting burned. Then place the cooled corn cob upright in a shallow bowl, stabilizing it with one hand. With a sharp knife, carefully slice downward along the length of the cob, starting from the top and working your way down to the base. "I like the method of cutting right into a bowl so that it collects all of the kernels neatly instead of using a cutting board where they tend to travel all over the place," Hahn explains.

Rotate the cob as you go so that all sides are cut, and cut as close to the cob as possible to maximize yield. Once all kernels are extracted, you can  discard the cob or use your leftover corn cobs to help create another delicious dish.