Corn Stock (Optional. Can substitute chicken or vegetable broth):

• 4 cobs of corn, kernels removed and cobs cut in half (reserve kernels for soup)
• 1 medium spanish onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 stick celery, roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• Makes approx 3-4L

Soup:

• 2 large spanish onions, diced
• 4 sticks celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup butter
• 4 bay leaves
• 1.5 t. ground cumin
• 2 t. dried oregano
• Small pinch cayenne pepper
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups 35 % cream
• Corn stock (previously made)
• 6 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and diced
• Corn kernels (reserved from cobs)
• Lemon juice to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Corn Stock: Place corn cobs, onion, celery, carrot and garlic in a large pot. Fill pot with enough cold water to cover the vegetables by 1.5 inches.  Bring pot to a simmer and continue to simmer for 4-6 hours or until the corn stock is very flavourful. Pour through a fine strainer and set aside for the soup.

Roast poblano peppers: Place peppers over open flame or onto hot grill/barbeque. Cook until the peppers are soft and develop black colour or grill marks on all sides. Once cooked, place in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15-20 minutes then remove seeds and stems. Dice the peppers and set aside.

Soup: Sweat onions, celery and butter in a large pot over medium-low heat with salt and pepper until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add bay leaves, cumin, oregano, cayenne and stir.  Add potatoes, cream and corn stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer 5-9 minutes until the potatoes and almost fully cooked and softened. Once cooked, remove the bay leaves. Add the roasted poblano peppers and corn kernels to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove approximately 1/3 of the soup and puree until almost smooth. This will help to thicken the soup. Add the puree back into the remaining soup, season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot and add chopped Italian parsley and a splash of your favourite hot sauce if you like a little extra heat! Enjoy!

Recipe by by Nathan Graff-Rowe from Red House

Uptown Waterloo Bistro from Chef Owner Dan McCowan, focused on fresh, healthy, locally-sourced & internationally-inspired cuisine, with a sommelier-selected wine list, craft beer selection, hand-made cocktails & genuine hospitality!

Open Tuesday-Friday for lunch & dinner, and brunch & dinner on Saturday. Closed Sunday & Monday.

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