Meatless Monday

Corn & Poblano Chowder

I have a great recipe for you today! Like the Hot & Sour soup I posted previously, this one is also a vegetarian dish from Pampered Chef. It was a winner with the whole family and can quickly become a warm comfort food on a cold night. Here is the recipe:

4 ears corn, husks and silk removed

2 cups whole milk

2 cups vegetable broth

1 medium onion

2 poblano peppers

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 medium carrot, peeled

1. Remove corn kernels from cobs, set aside. Break cobs in half. Place cobs, milk and broth in microwave bowl and cook on high 8 minutes. Carefully remove bowl from microwave. Carefully remove and discard cobs from milk mixture using tongs.

2. Meanwhile, chop onion and poblanos with knife. Add buter to large pot and melt over medium heat. Add onions, poblanos, corn kernels and flour; cook and stir 7-9 minutes or until onion is tender. Add milk mixture, salt and black pepper; bring to a boil. Cut carrots into julienne strips using peeler. Ladle chowder into large bowls; top with carrot strips.

In the "cook's tips" they explain how important it is to take the extra time to prepare fresh corn for this recipe. The corn cobs release starch into the milk mixture creating a much thicker chowder.

This was also my first time working with poblano peppers. They have a kick of more flavor than a green bell pepper, but you can easily substitute a green pepper if you prefer. I however, am hooked on the poblano pepper now!

Please let me know if you try this recipe and if you liked it!