Spicy Pepper, Potato, & Roasted Corn Soup

I know what you’re thinking: “She’s gone stark raving mad.” Soup in the summer, & a spicy one at that?

Allow me to explain. While, no, a piping hot soup boiling away on the stove in an already steamy, sweaty, summer kitchen is not the first thing that comes to mind when planning a midsummer meal, sometimes the ingredients on hand dictate said plans. In this case, I’d received nearly a dozen Antohi Romanian Peppers in my CSA share & along with an accompanying recipe that happened to be for, wouldn’t you know it, soup. Immediately nixing the soup idea, as it’s been far too hot around here these days (& I do not have A/C), I went in search of other recipes that utilized these rare sweet peppers & turned up practically nothing.

Back to the drawing board & the CSA’s recipe, then out came the soup pot. And for the record, I may have gone just a wee bit nutty. For one, I’m a bit depressed about having to sell my house. Secondly, I’ve hit full-on summer vacay mode. But, ah yes, soup, hot soup in the summer…raving mad, right! The main star of the soup & reason for pulling out the cast iron stock pot that I thought would be hibernating until winter…Antohi Romanian Peppers. Using the CSA’s recipe as my guide, I got to veggie prepping & soup making. I modified the recipe slightly to make it vegan by using soy creamer in the place of dairy cream & made a cashew crema to dollop on the soup instead of sour cream. For my own little twist, I threw in some roasted corn (& added some for garnish) as that is one of my favorite summer flavors & I thought it would add some depth of flavor & work nicely here.

SPICY PEPPER, POTATO, & ROASTED CORN SOUP

Author: Melissa, Honey Bee Vegan

Recipe Type: Soup

Cuisine: Vegan

Serves: 6 -8

INGREDIENTS

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 5 small Antohi Romanian Peppers

• 5 serrano peppers

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 medium onion

• 3 russet potatoes

• 32 oz. vegetable stock

• 1 cup roasted corn (I used frozen)

• ¼ cup soy creamer

• Sea salt & pepper, to taste

• Cashew crema, cilantro & roasted corn kernels for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Roughly chop, then sauté the Romanian peppers in olive oil for 5 minutes on low heat. Meanwhile, chop the Serrano peppers (seeds intact), garlic, & onion).

2. Add chopped ingredients & sauté for another 5 minutes.

3. Peel & dice the potatoes & add to the mixture. Turn the heat to medium & cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.

4. Add the stock & bring to a boil. Let simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the roasted corn.

5. Remove pot from heat & puree using an immersion blender. Stir in soy creamers.

6. Garnish with a dollop of cashew crema & cilantro.

Surprisingly, after letting the kitchen cool, cracking a bottle of crisp white wine, opening all the windows & doors, fanning away the sweat & letting the soup cool a bit, of course, this really hit the spot. With all my woes of late, comfort is key. This rich soup is velvety & smooth with spicy, smoky summer flavors. Certainly something I’d make again for sure, but maybe next summer if I have a house with A/C. Enjoy!