~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Mushroom and Potato Crema with Roasted Poblano...Rick Bayless

Mushroom and Potato Crema with Roasted Poblano...Rick Bayless
It's been quite cold for the past week. This morning we hit -10 deg. F.... Cold. Very Cold. And when it gets that cold, I usually gravitate towards making soup. Lately though, I've wanted a change from the regular soups I make... wanted to try something new. It's nice to vary things a bit from time to time....
I stumbled upon this soup on Rick Bayless' website... while I was actually searching for another recipe. The Potato and Mushroom Crema with Roasted Poblano really caught my eye ...and I really think it was the roasted poblano in the ingredient list that made me look twice. Roasted poblano...now, I don't know why I had never thought of using poblanos in my soups before. I loved the idea! Definitely wanted to make the soup. It sounded quite delicious and I had all the ingredients at home... even the fresh poblano! There were just enough mushrooms in the fridge and I had some yukon gold potatoes that I wanted to use. I quickly whipped up this flavorful soup for lunch and loved it. Loved the bits of chile and corn in the soup...and the cilantro really added a nice fresh taste.
I love roasted bell peppers, and when I make a batch on the grill, I will oftentimes add some fresh poblanos as well. I like to cut them up and freeze them in small quantities...they are great in salsas and recipes like this... even for green enchilada sauces. But this time, since I had a fresh poblano, I roasted that and used it for the purpose of this post. Incidentally, you will find quite a few of Rick Bayless' recipes on his website that are worth trying out...you will also find his tortilla soup that I made earlier.
I made a slight change to his original recipe that is worth mentioning....just because I personally like it. I ended up sautéing the sliced mushrooms to get a good caramelization and flavor going. I then added a bit of the stock to remove any browned bits that may have stuck to the skillet and proceeded to add it to the soup. I like the golden color of the mushrooms as they float through the soup...reserved a few slices for garnish. The original recipe uses only 8 oz of mushrooms, but I ended up using what I had in the fridge...more like 10 oz. Now, Rick simply adds the fresh mushrooms to the soup...you can easily do that if you like. It is easier and you don't have to take out the skillet:).
I added some sour cream to finish off the soup... more like a 1/2 cup. But you can also use some heavy cream, creme fraiche, or even plain yoghurt. Bacon is optional, so omit if you don't care for it. This was yet another great soup that we enjoyed very much. A different take on the classic mushroom and potato chowder...and a very nice change from the usual soups I make. Hope you enjoy...

You will need: adapted from Rick Bayless

4 medium (1 lb) Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in 1-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
6 cups chicken broth
1 large fresh poblano chile
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced*
1 scant cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream( I used sour cream)
Salt, to taste
butter/oil to saute mushrooms
* you can use some oyster and/or shiitake mushrooms for an elegant twist
Garnish with:
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 cup crispy bacon bits, optional

Directions:

1. Roast the poblano... over an open flame, grill, or in oven, under broiler. Turn when poblano is blistered and blackened all over. Do the same on the second side....this should take 10-15 minutes under the broiler( I use my toaster oven).
2. Cover roasted poblano with a towel and let cool. Peel the blackened skin off the chile, and remove the stem and seeds. Cut into small pieces. Set aside.
3. Saute mushrooms till golden brown ....over med/high heat in a bit of oil/butter. Set aside. Reserve a few slices for garnish if you like.
4. In a medium soup pot, add potatoes, garlic, and 3 cups of broth. Heat on high and when the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15-20 minutes.
5. When the potatoes are tender, blend the soup.... either in the pan with an immersion blender, or food processor/blender and return to the pan. Add the remaining 3 cups of the broth, the sauteed mushrooms(and the scraped up bits), poblano and corn.
6. Simmer for about 10 minutes or so over medium heat.... the soup should thicken slightly.
7. Right before serving, take out about 1⁄2 cup of the hot soup and place in a small bowl. Mix in the sour cream( or cream) and stir it back in the soup pot. Taste and season with salt.
8. Garnish with cilantro, reserved sauteed mushrooms( if using), and crispy bacon(optional).

15 comments:

Alina---Explora Cuisine said...

The photos are great Ellie, and the soup has to be delicious to say the least :) I never make cream soups so maybe I should bring some variety on the table as well :) Have a great day! Hopefully spring is coming soon (in Toronto it's snowing right now :( )

Ellie said...

Explora Cuisine, Thank you...sweet of you. I am sure the soup will taste even better with heavy cream...but sour cream works:)...

It's snowing here too:)....and COLD. Can't be outside for too long:). Have a great day...and thanks for stopping by.

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

Looks delicious Ellie! I love Rick Bayless, he's been a favorite chef of mine for 25+ years now :) He knows his stuff that's for sure! I want this soup for lunch too!

Mihaela said...

wow, Ellie, this soup looks amazing, I love roasted poblano peppers, I usualy make a salsa with roasted poblanos, roasted tomatoes and onions. For sure I will give it a try.

It's still pretty cold in Montana, here looks like the spring is trying, little by little :) Have a nice and warm day!

Ellie said...

Andrea, Yes, Rick Bayless has a style of his own:)...tends to bring in a ton of flavor with minimal amount of work...well, sometimes minimal:). But I really like how he uses ingredients that are pretty much available. He does give you alternatives if you can't find a certain ingredient. Definitely have enjoyed his soups:)...

Mihaela, The roasted poblano and roasted tomato salsa sounds fantastic! I wonder if you have it on your blog?:)
You should post it if you don't...I have to come over over for a look:)...thanks for stopping by.

megi said...

Ellie, I'll be making the tortilla soup tomorrow, I came to look at the ingredients to see if I need to take a quick trip to the grocery store and I see you posted yet another delicious soup recipe. This soup goes on my list to make over the weekend or next week.

Ellie said...

Megi, Sure hope you like it...I love using homemade chicken broth as I feel the flavor is so much better.
Feel free to adjust ingredients to your liking...

Incidentally I was looking through my pressure cooker manual and noticed a tortilla soup done in 10 minutes the same basic ingredients,...they did use a bit more onion, but the method was very similar, except they didn't use any chile. That's definitely another option:).
Thanks for stopping by...

Cotehele said...

Ellie, the photos and soup look awesome. Cream soups are comfort food around our house. A temperature of -10F needs comfort!

Ellie said...

Cotehele, Thank you! Definitely a comfort food. Need a second bowlful after going out to shovel:)...
Thanks for stopping by.

Anneliese said...

I wish I had more time..
Beautiful pictures!

Ellie said...

Anneliese, Thank You...means a lot that you stopped by:). ~Ellie

Anonymous said...

WOW, what a soup!! I am so tired of snow..... and that is an understatement! Love the poblano!

Ellie said...

Red, The poblano was definitely new for me...Liked it very much. Will probably want to put it in all my soups now:)...
Thanks for stopping by.

Mihaela said...

Ellie, se vede ca bucataria este pasiunea ta "puternica"...daca as avea si eu timp mai mult....Te felicit! Fii binecuvantata!

Mihaela said...

Ellie, I posted the roasted poblano salsa. Thank you for stopping by :)