Roasted Poblano Corn Chowder

High-summer corn from a neighbor · a poblano from the patch

6 · 25 min

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The corn & pepper
6 ears corn — kernels cut, cobs reserved
2 poblano, roasted, peeled, diced
The pot
½ lb maple breakfast sausage (bulk, or squeezed from casings)
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp flour
1 lb red potatoes, ½″ dice (skins on)
6 cups Next-Day Stock or AI-ChickenStock
1½ cups milk or half-and-half
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt & pepper
To finish
scallions, chives or cilantro, lime, hot sauce

Roast the poblanos. Char under the broiler, steam 10 min under a plate, peel, seed, and dice.
Cut, milk & save the corn. Slice the kernels into a bowl; scrape the bare cobs with the knife to press their starchy "milk" into the same bowl. Keep the stripped cobs, too. You'll use all three: the cobs flavor the broth (step 5), and the kernels and milk go in at the end (step 6) — nothing gets thrown out until it's given everything up.
Brown the sausage. Crumble the maple sausage into the pot and cook until browned and caramelized at the edges; lift it out, leave the fat behind. The maple sweetens as it browns — right into the corn's wheelhouse. (No sausage? Start with the butter.)
Sweat the aromatics. Add the butter, onion, and celery; soften 5 min, then the garlic and thyme.
Roux & simmer. Stir in the flour, 1 min. Add the stock, potatoes, and the bare cobs (they'll steep their flavor into the broth); simmer until the potatoes are tender, ~15 min. Fish the cobs out and discard them — they've done their job.
Corn & poblano in. Add the reserved kernels and corn milk and the diced poblano; simmer just 5 min so the corn stays sweet and snappy.
Cream & thicken. Off a hard boil, stir in the milk. For body, pulse an immersion blender right in the pot — a few short bursts for a lightly creamy chowder, longer for a smoother one. Salt and pepper.
Finish. Scallions, herbs, the browned sausage crumbles, a squeeze of lime, and hot sauce to taste.

Steps — tap one to keep your place

1. Roast the poblanos. Char under the broiler, steam 10 min under a plate, peel, seed, and dice.

2. Cut, milk & save the corn. Slice the kernels into a bowl; scrape the bare cobs with the knife to press their starchy "milk" into the same bowl. Keep the stripped cobs, too. You'll use all three: the cobs flavor the broth (step 5), and the kernels and milk go in at the end (step 6) — nothing gets thrown out until it's given everything up.

3. Brown the sausage. Crumble the maple sausage into the pot and cook until browned and caramelized at the edges; lift it out, leave the fat behind. The maple sweetens as it browns — right into the corn's wheelhouse. (No sausage? Start with the butter.)

4. Sweat the aromatics. Add the butter, onion, and celery; soften 5 min, then the garlic and thyme.

5. Roux & simmer. Stir in the flour, 1 min. Add the stock, potatoes, and the bare cobs (they'll steep their flavor into the broth); simmer until the potatoes are tender, ~15 min. Fish the cobs out and discard them — they've done their job.

6. Corn & poblano in. Add the reserved kernels and corn milk and the diced poblano; simmer just 5 min so the corn stays sweet and snappy.

7. Cream & thicken. Off a hard boil, stir in the milk. For body, pulse an immersion blender right in the pot — a few short bursts for a lightly creamy chowder, longer for a smoother one. Salt and pepper.

8. Finish. Scallions, herbs, the browned sausage crumbles, a squeeze of lime, and hot sauce to taste.

Low salt — salt at the end and taste as you go; broth, cheese, and canned goods already bring salt.