Chile Relleno Soup
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers. They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
5 poblano peppers
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, finely diced
6 cloves of garlic minced
¼ cup of cilantro chopped
½ cup of flour
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups half and half
1 teaspoon salt
½ tsp pepper
6 oz Queso Fresca cheese, crumbled.
For Garnish:
Tortilla Chips
Sour Cream
Salsa
Preparation
Clean and dry the poblano peppers. Places them on gas burners or on a cookie sheet covered in foil. Roast for 5 minutes on each side either on the burners or on the cookies sheet placed under the broiler. Roast until skin has blackened. Remove from the oven and place the chiles in a plastic bag and seal. Set aside to cool.
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and saute the onions and jalapeno until softened. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the flour to the vegetable mixture and cook for 2 minutes on low, then add the chicken broth, half and half and the salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat.
Once the chiles have cooled, remove them from the plastic bag. Scrape the chiles under cold running water with a knife to remove all of the blackened skin. Cut off the stem and cut in half to remove the seeds.
Chop the chiles into medium size pieces and add them to the soup along with the crumbled queso fresco cheese; simmer on low for an additional 15-20 minutes.
To serve, top with crumbled tortilla chips, sour cream and salsa.
Notes
I added the Queso Fresco cheese with the chopped Poblano Peppers and knew it would not entirely melt; leaving little pillows of cheese in the mix. If you prefer your soup be creamier, add the cheese prior to the poblanos and blend the mixture with an immersion blender first.
Fresh Salsa:
2 medium tomato or 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
1 thick slice onion, finely chopped
2 Tbsp chopped Cilantro
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lime juice
Pinch or two of salt
Pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to bowl, mix and let sit in fridge for at least 15 minutes.