Poblano Pepper Soups
About a month and a half ago, my mother and I went out to eat at Zocalo*, a local Mexican restaurant that serves more than the ordinary Mexican fare. On the menu, I saw sopa de crema de poblano and begged for a just a thimbleful to taste. My waiter obliged me, and my mother accused me of being tipsy… The soup was very good, but a tad fiery for me. Still, I became intrigued with the idea of making it at home.
Today, I did a search on Cream of Poblano Soup, and came up with all sorts of variations, yet could not find exactly the one that was served to me at Zocalo. Ironically, after finding 6 or 7 tempting variations, as I was searching on some link information for the restaurant, I happened upon a letter to the gourmet editor of the Atlanta-Journal Constitution, asking for the recipe. Bingo! I have added it at the end, so that you have to work for it!)
Cullen’s Cream Of Poblano Soup
3 (6-inch) corn tortillas, plus more, for garnish
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin (ground cominos)
1/2 tsp each: salt and black pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced poblano pepper, plus more for garnish
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp butter
3 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/8 cup roasted chicken (about 1 oz.), chopped
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack cheese
Cut 3 tortillas into ninths, place in food processor and chop until fine. Add flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend to the consistency of cornmeal. Place oil in stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/2 cup poblano pepper and garlic. Saute until onion is clear. Add butter and let melt. Add tortilla-flour mixture to the pan and mix to form a roux. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring with a wire whip. Do not let mixture burn. While stirring, slowly add stock, scraping down sides and bottom often. Add half-and-half. Bring to a slow simmer and cook 7 to 10 minutes. Do not let soup come to a hard boil. Turn off heat and let cool. Add chicken before serving. Top each serving with shredded cheese, diced poblano pepper and tortilla strips.
Cullen’s Rice Poblano Soup
1 lb poblano peppers, roasted – peeled and seeded
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove
7 cup chicken stock, divided
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked rice*
1 tsp salt
2 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz Monterey jack cheese, cubed
Combine peppers, onion and garlic with 1/2 cup chicken stock in blender; process until smooth. Heat oil in 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Pour poblano mixture into hot oil and cook sauce for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add remaining chicken stock, rice, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Add chicken and cream; heat thoroughly. Place heaping tablespoon cubed cheese in bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over cheese and serve immediately.
*Recipe based on regular-milled long grain white rice. If using other types of rice refer to rice cooking chart.
Shanna’s Potato Poblano Soup
2 strips bacon, cut into 1 1/2-inch wide pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
4 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp fresh black pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt chicken stock
6 medium yukon gold potatoes or 8-10 small red new potatoes, unpeeled, chopped
1 cup crema, creme fraiche or sour cream
1/2 cup grated anejo cheese (optional)
In a heavy Dutch oven or stockpot, fry the bacon over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown. Toss in the onions, half of the diced Poblanos, the salt and pepper and cook until slightly golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Spoon out any excess fat. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly just to release the aroma, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Puree in a food
processor or blender just until smooth, being careful not to over-process. Over-working will result in a gummy soup. Return to the pot, stir in the Crema, Creme Fraiche or sour cream and bring just to a boil. Stir in the remaining Poblanos for garnish. Sprinkle with grated Anejo, if desired, and serve hot. Yield: 6-8 servings
The three recipes above are from X-Recipes.com
Cream of Poblano Soup with Cheese Crust
This Tex-Mex creation is a lot healthier than it tastes–and is even more so if you substitute yogurt for the whipping cream. It’s gloriously thick and rich, with a nice balancing kick. Serve to 4 people as a spectacular and hearty first course.
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
3 medium poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 large potato, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream (or yogurt)
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped
8 large tortilla chips
1 cup of Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan. Add peppers, onions, and carrots and saute slowly for 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, add the diced potatoes, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and puree in a blender, solids first to get a smooth texture. Return to the pot. Add the cream and season with salt to taste. When ready to serve, bring to simmer and stir in the cilantro. Ladle into oven-proof bowls, top with 2 tortilla chips, sprinkle with cheese, and run under the broiler. Top each bowl with a cilantro leaf and take to the table.
From Soup Song.com
Truluck’s Cream of Poblano Soup
2 tbsp butter
3 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup peeled, diced carrots
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cup water
2 cup chicken stock
3/4 cup half-and-half
3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro, divided
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup fried, crushed tortilla chips
1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
1/2 lb chorizo, cooked, drained and crumbled
Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add peppers, onion and carrots and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour and cook 5 minutes. Whisk in water and chicken stock; mix thoroughly and simmer 30 minutes. Strain vegetables in colander, reserving liquid. Puree vegetables until smooth. Return to saucepan with reserved liquid. Add half-and-half, 1 tablespoon cilantro and salt. Heat to a simmer and remove from heat. Ladle soup into 6 bowls. Garnish each with 1/4 cup tortilla chips,1/4 cup cheese and 1 teaspoon each cilantro and chorizo.
From Mexican Recipes To Go.com
Corn and Roasted Poblano Soup
2 quarts milk
1 tablespoon cumin seed
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil or 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, diced
2 teaspoons salt
4 garlic cloves, minced — (4 to 6)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
8 cups fresh or canned whole kernel corn
6 Poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced
1 Pinch crushed habanero pepper
1 bunch chives, thinly sliced on the diagonal for garnish
Combine milk, cumin seeds, bay leaf and rosemary in a medium saucepan. Place over low heat and bring nearly to a simmer. Remove from heat and let sit 20 minutes.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or stockpot over medium heat. Cook onions with salt until golden brown, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes. Add garlic and ground cumin and cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes; stir in corn and diced chiles. Continue cooking over low heat for 5 more minutes.
Using a fine strainer, strain the infused milk into the corn and chile mixture. Bring to a very slow simmer over low heat. Add habanero powder carefully to taste, being very careful not to use more than needed. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
Pour 1/3 of the soup into a food processor or blender and puree; stir back into soup pot. Serve hot in shallow soup bowls. Sprinkle with chives.
Note: Adkins uses Mild to Wild Pepper and Herb Co.’s Crushed Apple-smoked Habanero Powder for the crushed pepper. To roast Poblanos, cook over a gas flame or under the broiler. Keep turning so the skin is evenly charred then transfer pepper to a plastic bag, tie the top closed and let steam until cooked to touch, about 15 minutes. Pull the charred skin by hand and dip the peppers briefly in water to remove any blackened bits.
Poblano Soup With Milk
6 Poblano peppers — peeled
2 cups Milk
2 cups Chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
3 tablespoons Butter
1 tablespoon Flour, all-purpose
Peel the poblanos, grind with the chicken broth, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Cook the milk until be warm. In a sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour, mix well, add warm milk and beat until blended; then add the poblanos mixed with chicken broth and let cook 30 min.
Both of the above are from Pepper Fool.com
Chile Poblano Cream Soup
3 oz butter
1 onion,sliced
1 can HERDEZ Poblano peppers
2 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp cilantro
1 cup cream
8 oz jack cheese in cubes
3 corn tortillas, cut in squares and fried
Melt the butter and fry the onion; add the poblano chili and fry a little. Leave it to cool and blend with the chicken stock and cilantro. Heat it and season with garlic salt and flavoring Add the cream and serve very hot. Serve with cheese and small totopos (tortilla chips).
From MexGrocer.com
*ZOCALO, 187 10th St., Atlanta, 404-249-7576
Mild chiles give kick to creamy pepper soup
Q: The recipe for the Crema de Chile Poblano from Zocalo would be a great addition to any recipe collection. Do you think you could get it for all the people I work with — and me?
A: Marco Martinez-Obregon, partner, says this is one of Zocalo’s top sellers. It’s easy to understand why after tasting this creamy, mildly spiced soup. What is truly amazing is how easy it is to prepare in your home. Martinez–Obregon suggests garnishing the soup with sliced almonds, queso fresco and cilantro leaves.
— Jeanne Besser, for the Journal-Constitution
Crema de Chile Poblano
Makes 4 servings
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
2 poblano chiles, seeds and vein removed, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon (or 4 cubes) chicken bouillon
3 (12-ounce) cans evaporated milk
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
In a blender, combine chiles, onion, garlic, chicken bouillon and 2 cans milk. Process until pureed. Pass the mix through a strainer, discarding solids.
Meanwhile, in a heavy stockpot over low heat, melt the butter. Whisk in flour and stir for 4 to 5 minutes. Don’t allow it to brown. Pour the strained liquid and remaining can of milk into the pot and whisk to combine, making sure to get the bottom and sides of the pot. Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent scorching. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
Per serving: 485 calories (percent of calories from fat, 53), 20 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram fiber, 29 grams fat, 99 milligrams cholesterol, 1,104 milligrams sodium.