A very tasty blast from the past: Nicole’s Cream of Poblano Soup

​Many moons ago, a favorite dish among a group of friends, and seemingly a great many others, was the Cream of Poblano Soup at Nicole’s on San Felipe not too far from the Galleria where our friend was a manager.  I don’t quite remember the taste, other than it was somewhat luscious, piquant and absolutely delicious, and I am one who usually doesn’t order soups.  This was in the days before the Houston restaurant scene really took off – and I become a much more experienced and demanding diner – but the memory of the quality of that dish has stuck with me.
 
Recently at my parents and in a stroke of serendipity, I came across a recipe clipped from the Houston Chronicle from sometime in the 1990s for a recipe for “Truluck’s Cream of Poblano Soup.” The dish migrated to Truluck’s when it first opened with our friend and some of the other staff when Nicole’s shuttered by the early 1990s.  Here is an adaption of that recipe, done in the style of Nicole’s.  The chorizo is very important, as my friend stressed after I mentioned I had found the recipe.  I made the soup last month and it was terrific, and even better as a leftover a couple of days later.
 
Ingredients
 
Makes 6 bowls of soups, good for starters.
 
Poblano Peppers – 3
Onion – 1, chopped
Carrot – ½, diced
Butter – 2 tablespoons
Flour – 2 tablespoons
Chicken Stock – 2 cups
Water – 4 cups
Half-and-Half – ¾ cup
Chorizo - 6 ounces
Cilantro – 3 tablespoons, finely chopped
Salt – 1 teaspoon
Monterey Jack Cheese – 2+ cups, shredded
Tortilla Chips – 2+ cups
 
Directions
 

1. Roast the peppers, either in the oven or over a flame, then peel, seed and dice.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and carrots and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the flour, stir in well, and cook for 5 more minutes.
4. Add the chicken stock and water, mix thoroughly and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. While the soup is simmering, cook the chorizo in another pan, which should take about 5 minutes over medium heat.  Drain on paper towels.
6. Strain the soup to remove the vegetables, preserving the liquid.
7. Puree the vegetables until smooth.
8. Add the pureed vegetables back to the pan with the rest of the liquid.  Add the half-and-half, a tablespoon of cilantro and the salt.  Heat until it is simmering and then turn off the heat.
9. Serve each bowl of soup with 1 tablespoon each of the chorizo and cilantro, then top with about ¼ cup each of the shredded cheese and then the tortilla chips.
10. Have the extra cheese and tortilla chips available to add into the soup, if desired, as it is consumed.

 
I have used much better quality chorizo for this dish, Kiolbassa and Chorizo de San Manuel brands, rather than the really cheap-tasting, heartburn, etc. -inducing $1 chorizo that I have too often purchased in the past.  I would recommend spending a few more dollars for the chorizo for this preparation, as I did.  And, next time, as I desire more spice these days than I did in the distant past, I will add at least a couple of serrano peppers to the mix, even though it was delicious as cooked above.