Recipe: Roasted Corn and Poblano Soup

bowl of roasted corn and poblano soup topped with cilantro and Cotija cheese

If you just can't get enough fresh sweet corn at the Lenexa Farmers Market this summer, you're not alone. A creamy corn and poblano soup is the next thing you should try.

Ingredients

4–5 ears of sweet corn, shucked

3 poblano peppers

4 cups of whole milk

Salt and black pepper to taste

Cilantro, optional

Cotija cheese, optional

Crispy tortilla strips, optional

Lime, optional

Directions

  1. Warm milk gently in a medium-sized pan while you get the other ingredients ready.

  2. Grill corn on the cob until beginning to get dark in spots. Cut from the cob and add to the milk. Alternately, cut fresh corn from the cob and pan-fry over high heat until beginning to darken and caramelize. Reserve ½ cup corn for garnish. Add the rest of the corn to the milk, scraping and adding a bit of water to get all those darkened bits.

  3. Meanwhile, roast poblano peppers on a grill, in the oven, or on a dry skillet on the stove, until blistering and charred in places. Put roasted peppers in a paper bag for a few minutes to steam, then peel off the waxy, charred skin. Cut open and remove seeds and stem. Cut into bite sized pieces. Reserve ½ cup of the peppers for garnish and add the rest of the peppers to the pan.

  4. Heat, stirring occasionally for 20–30 minutes. Using an immersion blender, blend soup for a few seconds, leaving some corn and peppers whole. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. This soup is great as is, but you might want to add some additional garnishes.

  5. To serve, scoop into shallow bowls, garnishing with extra corn, poblanos, optional cilantro and Cotija cheese. Squeeze a bit of lime over the soup and top with crunchy tortilla strips, if desired.