Roasted Jalapeno Soup

Made this soup this weekend.  Taken from a favorite cooking site. If you like spicy  this is a good one.
Roasted Jalapeno Soup

• 4 green Jalapeno Peppers
• 2 small-med Carrots
• 1 small Onion
• 2 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp unsalted Butter
• 1/4 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
• 2-1/2 cups water (or Vegetable Broth)
• 1/2 cup Milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup Tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup Mushrooms, sliced

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut each jalapeno in half lengthwise

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and remove the seeds and membrane.Depending on the cultivation the heat from Jalapeno can vary from being pretty mild to hot.  The ones I used, inspite of removing all the seeds, the soup still had a good level of heat. So depending on how much heat you can take and the level of heat, you can retain or remove all the seeds.

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Place them face down onto a foil lined cookie sheet.

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Roast for 10-15 minutes or until slightly darkened. Mine is not exactly "slightly darkened" but well, it tasted pretty great never the less. Also you can instead broil it for few minutes as well.

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When cool enough chop them into small pieces. A rough chop should do. Set aside.

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In a medium sauce pot, heat the red palm oil (or olive oil). When hot, saute the  onion,and garlic for 1-2 minutes until the aroma hits your nostrils.

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Next in goes the carrots. Add some salt and cook for about 5 minutes or until it the onion starts to soften.I use Himlayan Pink Salt.  If you are using Vegetable broth, adjust the amount of salt - in case the broth contains some salt already.

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Add in the butter.

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Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour until

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everything is coated.

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Keep stirring for few seconds until aroma wafts. This helps to cook the flour and avoid the raw taste later.

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Stir in the chopped jalapenos.

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Slowly add water (or broth) and bring to a boil.

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Then stir in the milk.

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Bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to simmer and cook until the soup has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.

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When the soup has thickened, turn off the heat. If using an immersion blender, blend the soup directly in the pan. Or you can use a blender (Caution: Add little at a time) to puree the soup.

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Pour back into the sauce pan. You can adjust the consistency of the soup as per your liking.  If you want it to be more thick, add in some more flour - 1 tbsp at a time. Or add little more water/broth if you want it more soupy.

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Stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Reheat if necessary. The heat from the soup will help to soften the mushrooms. Taste and season if needed.