Roasted Poblano and Corn Soup

When I found poblano chiles in my local supermarket last week I was gob-smacked. We Aussies have been repeatedly told that Mexican Food is the "new wave" here. I've bored my family and friends nauseous telling them that, until I find real Mexican ingredients in my supermarket, I wont believe the hype. Well, I'm about to eat my words, or poblanos... which I'm totally okay with. After I found these little gems just up the road, I immediately skipped home and began gushing all over Facebook about my amazing find like I'd found the golden ticket. Embarrassing really. But my lovely FB friends indulged me and came up with some utterly delicious suggestions for their use. One suggestion from my friend Megan at Yumology was to make Chile Rellenos, which I did and I was so busy scoffing them that I didn't take any photos... wah! But to make amends, I went back to the supermarket today and bought a sack of the suckers and made this soup which was a great suggestion from another very helpful FB friend... and, I took some photos. So in the last little while, I've eaten humble poblano pie and learned from the error or my ways.

PS: And another thing I've learned from this whole poblano affair, is that I desperately need a new hand model.

Roasted Poblano and Corn Soup

adapted from Food Network

Serves 6

For the Soup:

6 poblano chiles 

8 ears of fresh corn, kernels removed

2 litres milk (I used full cream)

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 chipotle chillies

2 fresh bay leaves

1 sprig rosemary

30g unsalted butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large onions

2 teaspoons fine salt (I used Pink Himalaya)

6 cloves garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

For the Garnish:

Corn tortilla strips, fried in a little oil until crispy

Coriander leaves

Set the grill (broiler) to high, lay the poblano chiles in one layer on a baking tray and grill (broil) until the skin is black and blistered. Remove them from the grill, place them in a plastic bag and leave them for 15 minutes.

Then peel the skins off and discard (they should just slip off) and remove the stems and seeds. Cut into dice. Set side.

Put the milk into a large pan. In a small, dry frying pan, fry the cumin seeds over high heat until they are toasted and fragrant. Tip them straight into the milk. Add the chipotles, bay leaves and rosemary to the milk. Bring the milk to a simmer, clamp on a lid, turn of the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

In a large soup pan, melt the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, but not browned. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and ground cumin and cook for another minute. Add the corn and roasted poblanos and cook for a few minutes. Strain the milk through a fine sieve and add it to the vegetables. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 - 20 minutes (do not boil). Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.

Take half the soup and blitz it in a blender until smooth. Add it back to the pan. You should have a thick soup with lots of body and a chunky texture. Check seasoning. Serve in deep bowls and top with crispy tortilla strips and coriander leaves.