Corn and Green Chilli Soup

  

When the weather closes in as it has today, you need to find comfort indoors. Put on some music, put a good back-log on the fire (or turn up the central heating), put your woolliest socks on, cut some limes, open a Corona and sit down to a big bowl of warming Corn and Green Chilli Soup. I guarantee it will warm you on the inside right down to your wool-clad toes.

Corn and Green Chilli Soup

from Daily Online

2 tablespoons olive oil
Knob of butter
2 white onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 head of fennel, chopped
3 sticks celery, chopped
1 green poblano chilli, deseeded and chopped (or use a green pepper and one long green chilli)
3-4 coriander stalks and roots, chopped
7 heads fresh corn, kernels removed
1litre  vegetable stock (or water)
1 red onion, finely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Sea salt and black pepper

TO SERVE
100ml sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

2 corn tortillas and about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil to fry them in.

Heat the oil and butter in a pan until foaming, add the onions, garlic, fennel, celery, chilli, coriander and two-thirds of the corn. Stir and cook over a medium heat for 10 minutes until softened.

When the onion is translucent, cover with the stock. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Purée in a blender until smooth.

Cut the tortillas into thin strips. Heat the vegetable oil in a small saucepan until starting to shimmer on the surface. Drop the tortilla strips into the hot oil in batches and fry until golden. It should only take about 30 seconds. Lift them out of the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen towel.

Sauté the red onion and remaining corn kernels over a high heat for a few minutes and add to the soup. Serve in bowls with a swirl of sour cream, coriander and fried tortilla chips.