Roasted Corn & Poblano Soup

With the amazingly warm weather we've been having comes the perfect excuse to visit your local farmer's market: the incredible variety of fresh produce you can find this time of year. This past Thursday, I took my daughter on her very first field trip. We spent the morning at a local farm, feeding animals and enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather, and we came home with 8 peaches and two big bags of freshly-picked corn. I've been dreaming of this soup ever since. We had some family over for dinner tonight, and we all had seconds, including the almost-3-year-old, and soaked up the remaining broth with our bread.




Feeds eight, or one batch for tonight and one for the freezer

3 roasted poblano peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
about 4 cups of roasted corn
4 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
fresh-ground black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 pint heavy cream

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and saute until just starting to wilt.
• Add the sea salt and pepper (to taste), and continue cooking until the leeks are soft.
• Sprinkle leeks with cornstarch, and stir until the cornstarch seems well-dispersed.
• Add the corn, poblano, bell pepper, spices, and broth.
• Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add the cream, stir well, and re-cover. Cook 3-5 more minutes, until warm.