Mexican Corn-and-Poblano Soup

My decision to make this recipe was based solely upon the above gorgeous photo. I then mindlessly wrote down the ingredients and grocery shopped. So it wasn't until I was halfway through making it and tasted it that I began to worry about how flavorful it was going to be.

What I'm trying to say is that I was pretty underwhelmed with this soup. I also probably made a misstep with the scallions, although I'm not completely sure because I still don't know if the directions were telling me to char the chopped green parts of the scallion (which I did) or the un-chopped white parts. (See below directions and feel extremely free to chime in.)

Point being, if I were to make this again, I would definitely substitute the water for vegetable or chicken broth. I would also throw in at least one chopped chile en adobo as the poblanos themselves didn't add enough heat for me. And what about some lime, huh, Martha?

That said, this is another recipe I made pre-Teddy, so perhaps it was pregnancy messing with my taste buds, especially since Matt liked it a lot more than I did.

In other news, Matt took some photos in honor of Teddy's 6-week birthday (two weeks ago) and here are a few of the results. He's looking good, right? Almost as good as The Good Wife. For those of you concerned, we are now well into season 4 and I'm getting a little worried about what's going to happen when we run out of episodes. I'm also halfway through The Goldfinch, which I'm reading on my phone (which is the only way to read a book and hold a baby at the same time) and I must say that I totally get what all the hype is about. I also need to finish it by next week since that's when my book club is meeting. Wish me luck! xo

Mexican Corn-and-Poblano Soup via Martha Stewart

3 scallions
1 large white onion, quartered lengthwise, root end kept intact
2 large fresh poblano chiles (8 ounces)
1 pound frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained (about 3 1/3 cups), divided
1 tablespoon coarse salt
3 cups plus 3 tablespoons water, divided (as mentioned above, I would try substituting vegetable or chicken broth here)
2 tablespoons fine cornmeal or masa harina
Queso fresco cheese, crumbled, for sprinkling

Cut dark-green tops off scallions, and finely chop. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place scallions, onion, and chiles in skillet, and cook, undisturbed, until charred on bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn vegetables with tongs, and cook, undisturbed, until charred on other side, about 5 minutes. (Vegetables can also be broiled on a baking sheet.)

Transfer scallions to a blender. Continue turning and charring chiles and onion until charred on all sides, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove skillet from heat. Transfer onion to blender.

Transfer chiles to a bowl, cover immediately with plastic wrap, and let steam 15 minutes. Peel and discard charred skin from chiles, and remove stems and seeds. Halve chiles lengthwise, and slice crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips.

Add 2 1/2 cups corn, the salt, and 2 cups water to blender. Puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer puree to skillet. Stir in remaining corn and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 8 minutes.

Whisk together cornmeal and remaining 3 tablespoons water. Stir into soup along with chiles, and simmer until it has the consistency of porridge, about 2 minutes.

Divide soup among 6 bowls; garnish with chopped scallion greens, and sprinkle with cheese. Soup can be refrigerated 2 days; let cool completely before refrigerating. Gently reheat in a covered pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally.