If you’ve browsed my recipes, you know by now that pablano peppers are a favorite ingredient. I like them better than bell peppers, and often use them instead of the latter. Yesterday I harvested the last of the winter kale and had a bunch of pablanos from the farmers market that needed to be used. Hmmm… what to do? I decided on a vegetarian dish, but if you have a meat eater in your house you could easily add some cubed chicken or pork to this soup. Initially I planned on adding a cup of corn to the soup, but forgot in the end, plus had already used corn tortillas and don’t like to overload on carbs. Feel free to add it when you turn off the soup if you can afford the calories or have a long run planned for the next morning. For this soup you will need:

  • 6 large pablano peppers
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2T olive oil, divided
  • about a half pound of kale or other green, washed, stems removed, cut into strips
  • 6 corn tortillas, cut into strips
  • 2 15 oz cans of great northern or other white beans
  • 2 t ground cumin
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t sriracha sauce
  • 2t vinegar
  • 6 cups or more your favorite broth

Start by roasting the pablanos. This may seem labor intensive the first couple times you try it, but it’s really easy, and you can work on other parts of the meal while you roast and then cool them: first, wash and remove the stems and seeds, leaving the peppers whole. Preheat the broiler to high and place the pablanos inside on a cookie sheet about 6 inches away from the element. The skins will begin to blacken, at which time you turn them and allow to cook on the other side. Be careful not to  start a fire! When blackened on all sides, place into a brown paper bag and allow to rest for about 10 minutes. While they are resting, go ahead and heat 1T of the olive oil, adding the onion when the oil sizzles. Saute` the onion with the spices and sriracha until translucent. You can also begin browning the tortilla strips over medium heat with the remaining olive oil. I sprinkled a little salt and chili powder on them while they cooked. Remove from heat when golden and crispy. By now the pablanos are ready to peel. Remove them from the bag and slip the skins off, sort of like a blanched tomato, they come right off. If necessary, use a paper towel to facilitate the skin removal. You could run under cool water, but risk losing some of the roasted flavor by doing so.  After you remove all the skin, slice into strips. On the right side of the photo you can see all the discarded skin. While this step isn’t crucial, it does give the pepper a distinct flavor and texture, much like roasted red peppers.

Now you’re ready to make the soup. Add the pablanos to the onions, stir, and toss in the kale. Combine well and continue cooking until the kale fully wilts. Pour the broth and vinegar into the vegetable mixture and heat to boiling. Next, if you haven’t already done so, drain, rinse and add the beans. When using canned beans this step is crucial. I can’t say how many times people are surprised that I used canned beans when they taste the food. The typical comment is: “I usually hate the flavor of canned beans, but these are fine.” Make sure you pour them into a colander, rinse thoroughly and allow for drying time. Besides a better flavor you are also washing away a large majority of the sodium and, if not using organic (recommended), chemicals used as preservatives.

Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down the heat and allow to simmer for 15-30 minutes. The flavors meld best with time. In fact this is a great soup to make a day or two ahead of time and re-heat, but make the tortillas same day so they are fresh and crispy. Taste to correct seasonings and serve with tortilla strips sprinkled on top. If desired top with a sharp cheese or dollop of Greek yogurt. If you decided to add meat to the recipe, it should be added while the onions are cooking. I like it plain, no cheese, no yogurt, no meat – but that’s me. My husband did complain on the lack of chicken, but loved the combo served with a little red papaya as a side dish.