Cold Outside? Let's Have Soup! by Joan Reeves

Baby, it's cold outside!

Here on the Texas Gulf Coast, we've had temperatures in the 40's for nearly 2 weeks.

To those of you who live in cold climates, 40's probably sounds like beach weather.

But I've lived in hot climates most of my life so this is put on hat, gloves, and coat weather.

Winter is soup weather so it's time to serve one of our favorite soups for dinner tonight—Cream of Poblano Soup.

I hope you'll enjoy hot, delicious soup. Oh, first a note about poblano peppers. They're a rather mild pepper about 4 to 6 inches long and slender, not skinny like chile peppers and not fat like bell pappers. They're available in most supermarkets today.

If you want exceptional flavor, roast or char the peppers over a flame or under a broiler. Wrap the charred peppers in a dish towel for about 10 minutes.

Then rub the nearly transparent "skin" from the peppers. If you don't want to do that, no worries. The soup will still be good.

CREAM OF POBLANO SOUP

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
3 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup diced carrots
2 tablespoons AP flour
4 cups water
2 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup half and half
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt

Toppings

Shredded cheese of your choice (Monterey Jack, Colby, and Cheddar are terrific)

Diced red onion

Fresh cilantro leaves

Tortilla chips

Tortillas lightly grilled in butter and cut in strips

Instructions

Saute the poblano, onion, and carrots in the butter until soft, usually about 5 minutes.

Add the flour, stir, and cook another 3-5 minutes to remove that "raw" flavor of uncooked flour.

Add the water and chicken stock. Whisk together to blend well.

Simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree until smooth and creamy. If you don't have one of these stick blenders, simply pour the mixture into a blender. Use caution. Place dish towel over blender lid to prevent hot soup from exploding out.

Add the half and half, chopped cilantro, and salt. Heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. 

Serve with the toppings you like best.

OTHER COLD WEATHER DELIGHT

Cold weather means you're often stuck inside. What a perfect time to snuggle on the couch beneath a warm, fluffy throw and read.

I invite you to try my "cold weather" romance EVERY LITTLE LIE for an emotional journey with a happy ending.

Reader Review: "Joan Reeves is an intelligent writer with a style that pulls you in immediately, just because her words flow so beautifully. Add to that a little mystery and suspense and you've got yourself one page-turner."

I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving full of joy with family and friends.

(Joan Reeves participates in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program which means she may earn a small commission if you click one of the links in a post.)