Roasted Anaheim Pepper Corn Chowder

I first tried corn chowder only about 2 years ago, and I think I fell in love with it immediately! How could I have missed out on such a delicious soup for so long? This summer, I have tried at least 3 or 4 different corn chowder recipes now, and have yet to be disappointed... well except for the chipotle pepper version that was just WAY too hot! I do really love a corn chowder with a bit of spice in it though, and so when I saw this recipe for a Poblano Corn Chowder over at The Other Side of Fifty, I knew that it would be delicious. Poblano peppers seem to be very difficult to find around here, and so I've used Anaheim peppers instead, which worked perfectly!

This recipe also called for creamed corn, which I did include since I knew it would add a bit of creaminess, without too much of that fat. Next time however I think I'll leave it out the creamed corn, since you could probably achieve the same effect by just blending up half of it (while leaving some unblended for a bit of a chunkier texture that I love!)

Roasted Anaheim Pepper Corn Chowder

Adapted from The Other Side of Fifty

3 anaheim peppers, seeds removed

1 red bell pepper, seeds removed

1 onion, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

Salt & pepper to taste

3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

6 cups chicken broth (I used homemade)

2 medium potatoes, peeled & diced

2 10 oz cans creamed corn

2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

1/2 cup milk or heavy cream (I used soy milk)

1. Roast anaheim and bell peppers in the oven: Place whole (washed) peppers on an aluminum foiled lined baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, and place under the broiler (about 6 inches from heat). Roast for about 7-8 minutes until pepper looks blistered (it will look black)... rotating until the whole pepper is equally blackened. Once done, place peppers in a resealable plastic bag, seal closed and let stand for about 10 minutes (the peppers will steam, and help the skin to come off). Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove, peal and remove stems and seeds. Make sure not to rinse them at this point, as the smoky flavour lies in the surface. Dice and set aside.

2. Heat some olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat, and add onions and celery. Season with cumin, oregano and salt & pepper. Saute until onions are soft (about 5-7 minutes). Add garlic, and saute for another 60 seconds.

3. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture, and stir to combine. Cook for about 2 minutes. Slowly add chicken broth to pot.

4. Bring to a boil, and add potatoes, creamed corn, and diced roasted peppers. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add corn kernels, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and stir in milk. In order to make sure the milk doesn't curdle since you're adding cold milk to hot soup, I actually ladle a couple of ladle-fulls of the warm soup into the milk first, in order to bring it up to temperature. Once warmed, I then add it into the full pot of soup. Taste and re-season if necessary.

6. If you like a smoother soup, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. For a chunkier soup, serve as is. I served this with a garden salad for lunch. It also freezes really well. Enjoy!