Vegan Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos
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.
Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion, peeled and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon olive oil
pinch of salt
2 large poblano chiles
1 (16-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
2 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
chopped cilantro to garnish, if desired
Instructions:
Place quartered onion and garlic clove on a large sheet of foil. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt. Bring corners of foil up over onion to make a packet. Place foil packet on a baking sheet or large cast iron skillet, and place chiles next to foil packet on the baking sheet. Roast onion packet and chiles for 15 minutes, or until chiles look soft and are starting to char. Using a pair of tongs, flip chiles over, and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes, or until they are uniformly softened and charred. Remove chiles from oven, place on a plate, and set aside to cool. Return onion packet to the oven to continue to roast another 30-40 minutes (about an hour total). Onion will look slightly golden and very soft when done.
Peel cooled chiles under running tap water. Remove stems and seeds from chiles, and chop into small pieces, about ¼ to ½-inch. Set aside.
Once onion and garlic have finished roasting, place onion, garlic, and any juices that have accumulated in the foil in the bowl of a blender. Add half of the thawed corn, and 1 cup of broth to the blender. Puree until smooth.
Pour pureed corn mixture into a medium pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Add remaining corn, 1 cup broth, and chopped poblanos, and simmer until heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle chowder into bowls, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
Serves 4.
From life currents.dw2.net