With the torrential rains of a couple of weeks ago came another huge harvest of jalapeño peppers from the garden. Having already "put-up" much pickled peppers and salsa, it was time to find something new to do with all those peppers.
This soup is inspired by the recipe from The Reata restaurant located in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square. As always, I have made it my own by experimenting and tweaking.
Cream of Jalapeño Soup
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1-1/2 cups fresh jalapenños, stemmed, veined and seeded (8-10 peppers), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 avocado, peeled and diced
2 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes (3 large tomatoes)
8 cups half-and-half
1 bunch cilantro, stemmed and chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large saucepan or stock pot, heat the butter and oilive oil over medium heat. Add the jalapeños, onion and garlic and sauté, stirring, until they are softened (not browned).
Off the heat, stir in the avocado, tomatoes and half-and-half. Lower the temperature and return pan to heat, stirring frequently so the cream does not separate. Bring the soup slowly back to a simmer and cook for about 35 to 40 minutes to reduce by one-third. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
Season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, stir in the chopped cilantro, reserving some for garnish. As it stands, the soup is rustic with chunks of vegetables. I like to get out my immersion blender and whip it to a creamy texture.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with the remaining cilantro.
A few notes:
Peeling and seeding tomatoes is a piece of cake. Bring about 6" of water to a rapid boil, use your paring knife to cut out the stem. Then slice a shallow X in the bottom (blossom) end. Plunge the tomato into boiling water for about a minute or so (til you see the peel begin to separate from the flesh), then plunge it into a bowl of iced water. This will stop the tomato from cooking and further loosen the skin. Remove the cooled tomato and peel away the skin. Cut the tomato in quarters and with your thumbs push out the seeds.
How hot this soup ends up is all about how you prepare the jalapeños. The heat is in the veins and seeds. So, if you leave only the green flesh, the soup will be nice and spicy but not too hot. If you use all the seeds and veins, the soup will be very hot.
Most recipes for this type of soup call for heavy cream. I have chosen to use half-and-half which makes it have a lot less calories and also makes it a lot lighter (cheaper too!). I prefer it this way but if you want a classic cream soup, by all means substitute the heavy cream for the half-and half.
Enjoy!
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