Corn and chicken soup with chile-mint salsa

Or, this should be more aptly titled "How to trick my mom into eating jalapenos." Last week I had the parents over and I always try to find a recipe that will surprise them. They don't eat things with a lot of heat. This was a perfect nudge toward the spicy dark side.

A friend at work is a great cook and sent me this recipe from Bon Appetit after I sent her a recipe for ice cubes (worth a read! -http://www.food.com/recipe/ice-cubes-420398/review). I don't have any pictures and made this a while ago, so you'll have to excuse the brevity. I can say that this is going into the rotation.

Ingredients

Chile-Mint Salsa

• 4 jalapeños
• 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon (or more) kosher salt
• 1 cup (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Soup

• 1 3–4-lb. whole chicken
• 3 quarts low-salt chicken broth
• 4 ears of corn, husked, kernels cut from cobs, cobs reserved
• 1 medium onion, halved lengthwise
• 1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Garnishes

• 1 large tomato, diced, lightly salted
• Tortilla chips
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Coarse sea salt (such as Maldon)

Preparation

Chile-Mint Salsa

• Char chiles over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning occasionally, until blackened all over (this adds a smoky flavor and makes the skins easy to remove). Let cool. Using a small knife, scrape skin from chiles; discard. Coarsely chop chiles (for a milder salsa, discard seeds).
• Make a paste by mincing garlic and 1 tsp. salt on a work surface, scraping with the side of knife occasionally. Add chiles and finely chop, then add mint and finely chop. Transfer to a bowl; stir in oil. Season with more salt, if desired. DO AHEAD: Salsa can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Return to room temperature before using.

Soup

• Place chicken and broth in a large heavy pot. Add water just to cover chicken. Bring to a simmer over high heat, skimming the surface occasionally (foam can add bitter flavors to soup; discard it as you skim). Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, continuing to skim surface occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add corn cobs, halved onion, garlic, carrot, celery, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 2 tsp. salt. Reduce heat to low and simmer until breast meat is just cooked through, 15–20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board; let cool slightly. Cut off breast meat; set aside (cooking breast meat longer will make it tough). Return chicken to pot. Simmer over low heat until legs and thighs are cooked through, about 20 minutes longer.
• Remove pot from heat. Transfer chicken to a platter; let cool slightly. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot; discard solids. Shred all chicken meat, discarding skin and bones.
• Bring strained broth to a simmer. Add corn kernels and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add red onion; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken; simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt.

Garnishes

• Divide soup among warm bowls. Garnish with tomato and tortilla chips. Squeeze lime wedges over; add wedges to soup. Serve, passing chile-mint salsa and sea salt alongside.

Original post: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/08/chicken-and-corn-soup-with-chile-mint-salsa#ixzz25SKOaXez