You’re probably not thinking about soup with the hot and humid summer we’ve been having [at least here in the States]; but this is a soup fit for summer.  Corn, poblano peppers, tomatillos…all at their peak of season.  The soup is thick and creamy due to the addition of corn masa — as opposed to milk or heavy cream — making it light enough for the dog days of summer.

This dish is bursting with flavor.  The vegetables are grilled before being added to the soup, which provides nice toasty notes, hints of tartness from the tomatillos, sweetness from the sweet, juicy summer corn, and herbaceousness from a handful of fresh cilantro all meld together.  While this soup incorporates various chile peppers, it’s not spicy.  Poblanos are mild (only 1,000-2,000 Scoville units).  You can adjust the level of heat by altering the amount of Serrano chiles.  Because mother nature is unpredictable, start with one Serrano (8,000 to 23,0000 Scoville units), taste, and add more if desired.  I wound up adding two, my Serrano chiles were on the mild side, plus am a bit of a chile fiend.

Dress up the chowder with a few grilled shrimp or toasted pumpkin seeds.  Either way, delicious!

Corn Chowder with Roasted Poblanos and Tomatillos

Adapted from Rick Bayless
serves 4 to 6
3 large poblano chiles
1 small onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 cups corn (about three ears of corn)
2 cups salsa verde (recipe below)
2 1/2 to 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
2 tablespoon fresh corn masa or masa harina mixed with 1/4 cup of water
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped plus few sprigs for garnish
Toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

Roast the poblanos, sliced onions, and corn until they develop a nice char (on a cast iron grill pan, charcoal or gas grill, or under the broiler).  You can roast the poblanos directly over the flame of a gas range, turning every few minutes until nicely charred on all sides.  Place the poblanos in a paper bag for about 10 minutes to sweat the peppers.  Remove from the bag and with the side of a chef’s knife scrape off the charred skin.  Remove the stem and seeds, and discard.

Place two of the roasted poblanos, sliced onion, 1 cup of corn, and all of the salsa verde in the blender, and process to a smooth puree.  You can add a few tablespoons of stock to thin it out if needed.  Dice the third poblano and set aside for garnish.

Transfer the puree to a medium-sized pot.  Stir in 2 1/2 cups of stock and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.  Once it comes to a simmer, add the corn masa/water mixture and continue cooking for 5 minutes.  Season with salt to taste.  Add the remaining cup of corn and cilantro, and stir to incorporate.  Serve immediately.  Garnish with the diced poblano, a few sprigs of cilantro, and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Salsa Verde

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed, washed
1-2 serrano (or jalapeno) chiles, to taste
1 small onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
2 cloves of garlic, whole and unpeeled
Olive olive or vegetable oil
Sea salt to taste

Place the tomatillos, serranos, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with oil to lightly coat the vegetables.  Season with salt.  Place under the broiler until the vegetables soften, about 10 to 12 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, slide the garlic out of its skin.  Place all the ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth.  Taste and add more salt if needed.

Note: the salsa verde can be made [a few days] in advance.