Who says you can’t eat hangover food before you start drinking?
Bull & Bear, Chicago, New Year’s Eve day
Cold weather is only bearable with a good bowl of soup. This sounds delicious.
Roasted Poblano Soup
(adapted from Anna Thomas’ ’Sopa de Poblanos’ soup in LOVE SOUP, and also the poblano soup I grew up eating in Texas)
The poblanos are gone from the farmers’ market. I snagged some for this recipe on Wednesday, but I think they were literally the last ones of the season. I’m sure you can find poblanos at Whole Foods, though, if you’re in the mood for a subtly spicy soup, rich with flavors of roasted peppers, cilantro and goat cheese. For me, this soup always reminds me of growing up in Texas and how much I love southwestern flavors.
Recipe:
6 fresh green poblano chiles (about 700g or 1.5lbs)
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped (450g or 1lb)
1 clove garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable broth (I use water and add a couple heaping spoonfuls of homemade bouillon until it tastes ‘right’, which I highly recommend)
1/2 cup or 1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tsp. mexican oregano
4oz. creamy young chevre, best you can get
4 T. or more toasted pine nuts for garnish
more goat cheese for garnish
Roast chiles under an oven broiler or on a dry skillet over high heat, turning them until the skin is charred and blistered all over. Place them in a brown paper bag for about 10 minutes to let them sweat and then peel off the skins. De-seed and de-stem peppers and cut into strips. (Makes 1.5 cups pepper strips)
Saute onions in butter and olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and some salt and cook over low heat until onions are golden, 20-25 minutes. In a soup pot, combine vegetable broth, onions, chile strips, cilantro and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes. Blend until velvety smooth. Add goat cheese slowly, whisking until combined over low heat. Add salt if necessary.
Serve with toasted pine nuts, more goat cheese, chopped cilantro or other garnishes.
