Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder Recipe is a creamy, comforting, hearty summer soup that highlights some of the summer’s best produce. Bonus: it doesn’t take long to prepare, and you can eat on it all week!
Y’all. How is Late July Already?
Here in Tennessee we’ve had what I would call a very mild summer so far. Frequent storms, some quite intense, have managed to keep temperatures lower than in recent years, at least a bit, and I find myself wondering why this couldn’t have happened LAST summer, when I was OUT TO HERE pregnant.
Seriously, being pregnant in the summer is HARD. Not that being pregnant anytime is easy, but still. The only place I found respite last summer was in the water and I swam every chance I got. Check out this picture on my Instagram from last summer of this gorgeous little swimming hole right outside of downtown Knoxville. Seriously, there are perks to living in this small city, and the proximity of paradisaical places like this is one of them.
What A Difference a Year Makes
This year, the storms have made swimming harder. That, and our crazy, busy, go-go-go schedule. I mean, I have always known that being a full time working mom is hard. But the reality of it, now that it is MY reality, is still surprising to me. I mean, I don’t mind being busy. I always seem to find a way to be busy, even before I had a baby.
But what I didn’t expect, what takes my breath away sometimes, is how much I feel like life is passing me by right now. I cling to every moment with my little one. He changes so much, so fast. I can’t help but resent certain things that take me away from him. Everyone says to treasure it, because it is over so fast.
I’m trying I say! And then I snap more photos or a short video with my iphone, because that’s what we do these days.
Every day I look at his big blue eyes, and watch his face soften, change, and grow, and I think, remember this. Hold on to this. This moment will never come again.
And in the way of these things, I think because I am clinging so hard and tight to this sweet baby stage, it is flying by at warp speed.
Of course, I could perhaps have NOT started a food blog.
But I have big hopes for this blog, and I see it as, potentially, a way I can have creative fulfillment as well as monetary compensation. I trained as a writer you know, and the idea that I could make a living wage writing things people want o read – well, I had almost given up on that dream
But that’s a story for another day.
In the meantime, I am happily here, sharing recipes like this Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder recipe that I make for my family.
Cheap, Cheerful, and Lunchable
One of the things I love about soup is that it is easy to make a big pot of it and then eat on it all week. That’s what I need, as a new mom, as a full time working new mom. I have to admit, though, I haven’t focused on these large, feed-us-for-a-week meals as much lately.
Part of this is because I want to blog a myriad of different recipes. Especially as a new blogger, I want to have a true wealth of different kinds of content for you to peruse. I seriously have a notebook full of recipes that I want to blog that’s growing longer and longer by the day.
This means I also push the boundaries, sometimes, of my own creativity, and learn new cooking methods, flavor combinations, and techniques. And all of that makes me happy.
Cooking, for me, hits all the notes. I get to create something, and I enjoy the challenge of creating something. I get to feed my family, and that act of giving sustenance is almost sacred. Even in this daily task, I find something sacred. There’s a reason they say the kitchen is the heart of the home.
And there’s also the eating. I must admit I enjoy the eating too ;).
A Soup for Every Season
But I also like to cook seasonally, using what’s fresh, and as local as possible, whenever possible.
But this past week, this Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder Recipe fit the bill. It uses fresh veggies, and like most soups can be a great use-up-the-random-veggies meal. I also quite simply love it, and look forward to a pot of it (or two or three) every summer.
And it occurred to me that since I am doing A Quiche for Every Season series, I could also do a Soup for Every Season series, because there are so many options for soup. So consider this the first post in that series!
Soup in Summer?
Y’all. I have a coworker who balks every time I bring in soup in the summer months. She says she just doesn’t thinking about eating a hot soup in the summer time.
I laugh at this. I was raised in Florida. If I didn’t eat soup in the heat I would never have eaten soup!
And I just love soup. Potato soup in particular.
When I was growing up, and would get sick, potato soup is what my mother would make for me. Not chicken noodle or brothy soup of any kind, but potato soup.
She made hers with evaporated milk. Canned evaporated milk. And growing up, I thought it was so, so good.
Now, I see that she used evaporated milk, and I know that’s my grandmother’s hand. My grandmother made her soup with evaporated milk because she grew up in the depression era south, and that’s what they could afford.
My mother made it that way, because her mother made it that way.
And now you get me, and I do not make my soups that way. I use real cream or half and half and fresh milk when called for.
But potato soup can be rich, and is probably best reserved for those cold weather times, or those lying on the couch with a cold times.
This Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder Recipe hits those same comforting notes, though, and is still a cream based soup without being quite as thick and rich (at least it isn’t quite as thick and rich as my version). The slight warmth of the poblano pairs with, and balances out, the slightly sweet crunch of the corn. I’ve also used some fresh red bell pepper, onions, and summer squash in this, because that’s what I got in my CSA this week.
But the soup is versatile. I have also used broccoli, broccoli rabe, and even kale or chard in this soup before.
Let’s Talk Poblanos
I use poblano peppers frequently in cooking. Once you’ve had a poblano, regular old green peppers just won’t do! But in case you are unfamiliar with the ingredient, I thought we’d talk briefly about what they are, and their history.
Poblanos LOOK just like regular green peppers, frequently, but are darker inc olor and richer in flavor. They are typically incredibly mild, though, and while they bring a lot of flavor, you don’t have to worry about them being too spicy. Especially in this soup, as the sweetness of the corn and the richness of the cream combine nicely to balance the soup.
The website Chili Pepper Madness has this to say of Poblanos:
Poblano peppers are found natively in the state of Puebla, Mexico. Obviously, the name is derived from the area where they are harvested, though in some supermarkets you will find them labeled as chile anchos. There are two different colors of poblano, red and green, and the red variety is significantly hotter than the green. In the grand scheme of peppers they have a more mild flavor, but are admittedly more hit and miss – some specific poblano plants will produce spicier peppers than others, and when you purchase a poblano, there always is a chance of getting a pepper that has a little more kick than you were originally counting on if you go with the red. The green poblano pepper is universally mild.
So if you’ve never worked with this ingredient, I urge you to try it in this soup, and hopefully you’ll love it as much as I do!
Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder Recipe Ingredient Swaps
And finally, I wanted to say that because corn is in season right now, I used fresh corn from my local farmer’s market. You can read more about my first choice of summer corn here.
I roasted both the corn and the poblano before adding to the soup. You could, however, use frozen corn if you can’t find fresh. Just toss it in just before the potatoes are done!
And as far as the peppers go, I add in any bell peppers I have on hand, but the red ones really do make the soup pretty. You can also sub jalapenos, for more heat, or green bell peppers for the poblanos.
Basically, this Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder recipe is versatile, and I encourage you to play with it!
Roasted Poblano, Summer Corn, and Potato Chowder Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-3 Tablespoons Olive Oil For sauteeing
- 1 Large Poblano Pepper May sub jalapenos (2) for more heat, or a green bell pepper if you can't find poblanos.
- 1 Large Red Bell Pepper, Diced
- 1 Large Onion, Sliced
- 2 Ears Summer Corn Or About 11/2 to 2 Cups Frozen
- 6 Medium New Potatoes, washed, peeled or unpeeled if your prefer), and sliced
- 1 Carton Vegetable Broth
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
- 2 Small to Medium Garlic Cloves, peeled and minced
- 2-3 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
- 1 Cup Whole Milk, Half and Half, or Cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Wrap two ears of corn in tin foil and place 1 tablespoon of butter in each foil packet.
- Place two ears of corn and your poblano pepper on a foil lined roasting pan, and place in oven for 20-25 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium stock pot, on medium heat, saute sliced onion in olive oil. Once the onions begin to slightly brown, add the red bell pepper.
- Sprinkle onions and red bell pepper with salt. Add remaining other spices (pepper, white pepper).
- Add in the garlic, and saute for one minute to release the flavor.
- Once your vegetables are soft, slowly sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of flour, stirring to combine the flour with the olive oil.
- Continue until all your flour has been added. Then slowly begin drizzling in the vegetable broth, about a half cup at a time, and stirring. If the remaining veggie broth isn't enough to cover all of the potatoes, add a cup of water, or additional stock so that all your vegetables are covered.
- Once all the vegetable broth has been added, add in your potatoes, and bring the pot to a boil.
- Once the pot boils, back the heat down so that your pot is at a rolling boil (in other words, don't let it boil over).
- Let the pot boil for 10-12 minutes, or until your potatoes are soft, but not mush. While your potatoes are boiling, take a knife and slice the corn off the cooled ears into a bowl.
- Cut the top of the poblano off, and remove the seeds. Then dice the poblano and add it to the corn in the bowl.
- Once your potatoes are done, reduce the heat to low, and add in the corn and poblano. Simmer together on very low heat for five minutes.
- Add 1 cup of milk, half and half, or cream. I use organic half and half myself.
- Ladle into bowls, top with cheese and chives, and serve.