Poblano Soup

Poblano Soup

Every now and again we take what we call a “retirement” day. I can already see the eye rolls from my employed friends, who think every day in my life is a retirement day. The reality is that retirement still contains daily obligations. Shopping, meal prep, laundry, landscaping, house cleaning. Exercise, pet care, volunteering. These items don’t miraculously happen of their own volition. Even though retired, we still need to carve out the occasional niche to just head off for fun. Which is how we discovered Wisdom’s Cafe and their poblano soup.

Wisdom’s Cafe is one of those quintessentially Arizona spots that one typically hears about via word of mouth.  While it’s quite near I-19, we breezed right past it, with the GPS providing its usual admonishment: tsk, tsk, what miserable navigators you are. Turning around, we found it in the boondocks near Tumacacori.  20 miles north of the border, with beautiful mountain vistas surrounding the property. It’s one of those places in the middle of nowhere that somehow seems to always have a full parking lot. We won’t miss it next time, as one of the restaurant landmarks is a giant chicken out front. Opened 80 years ago by a local couple, it has remained a large family operation with decor of family heirlooms and a huge menu of family recipes. 

I love a good green corn tamale and this looked like just the place to order one. My husband usually seizes on such an opportunity to order a meat-and-fat-filled plate of something, so I was quite surprised when he ordered the poblano soup. This soup was in fact vegetarian, but as it turned out, the soup base was pure dairy cream. A lot of dairy cream. He was more than satisfied with the amount of animal fat in his belly when finished. I tasted his soup, which was in fact scrumptious, but a killer for someone like me who struggles to digest bowls of saturated fat. (In addition to IBS, my gall bladder exited the scene decades ago.) I determined to recreate this soup at home, with a lower and healthier fat profile. 

Poblanos are very popular in Mexican dishes. Deep green and shiny, they have a naturally rich and earthy essence, edging into almost smokiness. The heat can vary, but most consider poblanos to be relatively mild. They are available in most grocery stores. I figured I could use my Provencal Style Asparagus Soup as a template, with a few adjustments. Sub in the poblanos for the asparagus; switch out the herbs de Provence for Mexican spices; and make the “cream” from cashews and pumpkin seeds in my blender. Now there is no shortage of my attempts to create recipes that have hit the trash can. But if I do say so, I nailed this one. Essence of poblano in a rich and creamy soup with no animal fat in sight. 

My poblano soup is also one of those all important soups for an Arizona summer, just as tasty served chilled as it is served hot. Serve it as a main dish, accompanied by salad, or in small portions as an appetizer in a summer menu. While sipping soup, picture yourself under an umbrella on a sun filled patio, surrounded by mountains and that lovely dry Arizona air. All the while under the watchful eye of a huge white chicken!

(A quick note to email subscribers: I changed out my social media buttons and switched my email subscription to a single plugin. If you’d like email notification of posts, please hit the envelope icon in the social media buttons and add your email. )