CREAM OF JALAPENO PEPPER SOUP

Coming this weekend to the Lake City Farmer's Market!

As always, we highly recommend purchasing local produce as much as possible to bring out the most flavor in a recipe!  The quicker produce gets to your table from a grower's field the richer it is in flavor and the denser the nutrients are!  You can pick up the ingredients for the majority of this recipe from your local farmer's market (most of them still in full swing). The milk and butter can be purchased at some of the larger farmer's markets, or try and find Kappers Big Red Barn (KAPPERS BIG RED BARN) cream, and butter from Pastureland (PASTURELAND), it's the real deal!  The only item you will have to swing by a store and get is an avocado!!!

Cream of Jalapeno Pepper Soup

(taking from Jalapeno Madness jalapenomadness.com)

Serves 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS:
6-8 jalapeno peppers, minced (no heat - remove seeds and veins, want heat - leave seeds and veins in).  For a stronger pepper taste add a few more peppers.

8 cups heavy cream
1 T butter
1 cup white onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small avocado, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, diced
1 T fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

• Heat butter over medium heat in a large saucepan.
• Add minced jalapenos, onion, and garlic.  Saute until soft.
• Stir in avocado, tomatoes, and heavy cream.
• Bring mixture to a soft boil, stirring frequently, and then reduce heat to simmer.
• Simmer approximately 15 minutes.
• Stir slowly and frequently.
• Stir in fresh basil, then simmer an additional 5 minutes.
• Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Remove from heat and serve.

COOKS NOTE:  We added about 12 large Concho jalapeno's (seeds removed), 6 plum lemon tomatoes, and 2 large cloves of garlic.  What we found with this soup are the following - needed more jalapeno's, more tomatoes, more onions, more garlic, more avocado and more basil.  More of everything would've heightened the flavor's tremendously - but it was still tasty and with the seeds removed from the Concho jalapeno's hardly any heat.

Serve as an appetizer, or in a bread bowl with a side salad as a lighter main course.  We served the soup with a nice, crusty bread from the Rabbit's Bakery in Lake City topped with Pastureland Butter and our Sun-Dried Tomato Jelly.  Or serve with your favorite corn bread recipe, topped with honey from your favorite honey producer!