Spicy Corn Soup

[amercolpsa]

This is one of my daughters favorite vegetarian soups.

Spicy Corn Soup

4 ears corn, kernels scraped from the
cob, or 3 cups corn kernels (fresh,
frozen, or canned)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

1 tablespoon dried chipotle chili
powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
1 red bell pepper, roasted,
peeled,seeded and diced
1-1/2 cups heavy cream

Prepare the corn by cutting the kernels from the cob. You should have approximately 3 cups of corn kernels from 4 cobs of corn. In a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, then the onions. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes until they are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and chipotle chili powder and saute for 1 more minute. Add the corn kernels and saute for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the salt, black pepper, and vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Once the mixture has boiled, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the corn kernels from burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. While the corn soup is simmering, roast the red bell pepper. Char the skin of the pepper until it is black over an open flame or on a grill. When the skin is blistered and blackened, remove the pepper from the flame and place in a paper or plastic bag and seal. Let steam for 15 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel, seed, and dice it.
Place the diced bell pepper into a blender with 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and blend thoroughly for 1 minute. Pour through a fine sieve and discard the contents of the sieve. Pour the red bell pepper sauce into a plastic squirt bottle and set aside. Remove the corn soup mixture from the heat. Place the corn soup mixture in a blender and puree for 3 minutes. Return the mixture to a saucepan, add the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream, and heat, over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Pour into bowls, garnish with some of the red pepper sauce and serve immediately.