September is here, Labor Day has passed, and summer is “unofficially” over. I’m definitely sad to see it go. I’m going to miss the beach trips, long daylight hours, grilling, the abundance of fresh garden vegetables, and the laid back atmosphere all together. That being said: I truly love the Fall. Once the weather cools down a little and the leaves start to change, I get so excited for all of the Fall festivities to begin. As far as food goes, I’m just like everyone else- thrilled about fresh pumpkin, the abundance of apples, and the start of soup/stew/chili season. This is the only soup I have made in the last few months. It’s a great transitional soup because it utilizes fresh poblano peppers, which are in season right now, but it is also spicy and warming. Bear with me on the pictures for this one- definitely not the most beautiful photographs by anyone’s standards. BUT, it’s unbelievably simple to make and uses very few ingredients. I love the combination of corn and poblanos. This is a thick, creamy soup that tastes really rich. It’s hard to believe that there is no cream or milk of any kind. The whole soup is very fresh tasting and feels totally acceptable to make any time of year. Don’t skip the queso fresco cheese- it provides a really cooling and neutral flavor to contrast the spicy poblanos. I would also suggest tasting a piece of your peppers after roasting to judge the heat. I used three small poblanos, but mine seemed to be EXTRA spicy and they provided more heat than I would have liked. Some poblanos tend to be mild, and in this case three may be the perfect number. You may have to play around with it a little.
What to expect on the blog for Fall:
Lots of healthier snack and dessert recipes that utilize fresh seasonal ingredients like pumpkin and apple
Main dish recipes with Fall/Winter squash like Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti Squash
Soup—especially crock pot recipes
New workouts and tips on how to stay motivated and active as the weather gets cooler
If you have any suggestions for specific types of recipes or other posts that you would like to see on the blog in the coming months, please contact me by leaving a comment or by clicking the “Contact” button in the top right corner of the page.
Active Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 5
Ingredients: 2 large (or 3 small) fresh poblano chiles 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 3 scallions, chopped 1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped 1½ lbs. frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained, divided 2 teaspoons kosher salt 4 cups plus 3 tablespoons water, divided 2 tablespoons fine cornmeal
5 ounces crumbled queso fresco and fresh cilantro, for serving
Directions:
Place the pobalos on a foil-lined baking pan and broil on high for about 5 minutes, turning every few minutes to ensure that the poblanos become charred on all sides. Remove chiles from the oven, place in a large bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Set aside for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and yellow onion and saute for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Off the heat and scoop the onions into a high-speed blender or food processor. Set aside.
Add 2½ cups of corn, the salt and 2 cups of the water to the blender. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. (If you prefer a chunkier soup, pulse until it reaches your preferred consistency.) Transfer the puree to the skillet and place over medium-high heat. Stir in the remaining corn and up to 2 cups of water (I added about 1½ cups). Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and let boil until slightly reduced, about 8 minutes.
While the soup is cooking, remove the chiles from the bowl. The steam should have loosened the skins. Peel away the skins, trim and remove the seeds and stems. Cut into thin strips, and cut again into 1-inch lengths.
In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons of water and 2 tablespoons cornmeal. Whisk until smooth. Blend into the soup in the skillet. Add in the chopped chiles. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the soup has thickened somewhat, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat. Serve topped with queso fresco and cilantro, as desired.
Nutrition Information per serving (with 1 ounce queso fresco):
Calories: 220 Fat: 11g Carbs: 29g Protein: 10g Sodium: 1178mg Sugar: 6g
*Nutrition information is based on the products I used personally in this recipe. Different products may yield slightly different information.
Source: Martha Stewart Living
