#26: Roasted Corn, Pepper and Tomato Chowder

As I posted earlier, I have been scouring through cookbooks and searching the internet for lighter and healthier soup recipes.  I loved the pesto soup I made last week and the veggie soup from Eating Well.  I found tonight’s inspiration at MyRecipes.   This Roasted Corn, Pepper and Tomato Chowder was first published in Cooking Light (June 2009). 

The recipe called for fresh veggies, grilled outdoors.  Since it is the dead of winter, I had to settle for a pepper from the produce section, canned tomatoes, and frozen corn on the cob that I put away last summer.   And, instead of grilling, I roasted the peppers and corn over a gas flame.

Here is my rendition:

1 large red bell pepper, halved and seeded
2 ears corn
1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
2 1/2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
crumbled blue cheese
chopped fresh chives

Roast corn and peppers over the flame of a gas stove. 

Roast the peppers, skin side down.

Next, roast the corn, turning often.

Roast the peppers until blistered. Roast the corn until a few kernels are toasted.

Set aside to cool.

Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Add onion and cook about 7 minutes or until lightly brown and tender.  While onion cooks, chop peppers and cut corn kernels from the ears.   After the onions have browned lightly, add tomatoes, stock, peppers and corn.  Stir.   Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and simmer 30 minutes.  Let the soup simmer.

(While this cooked, I was able to step out to the herb garden and find a few garlic chives peaking out to test the weather.)

After 30 minutes, carefully puree the soup mixture with a stick blender.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Ladle soup into serving bowls, top with a crumble of blue cheese and a sprinkling of chives.  Serve.

Garnish with blue cheese and chives.

The original recipe called to strain the soup through a seive before serving and to simmer it more after straining.  I liked the freshness of the soup without the straining and longer cook time. 

I can’t wait until this summer to use peppers and tomatoes from the garden and local corn from the farmers’ market!

Corn