Of course I started with my standard "Mise en place" by getting everything cut, measured and prepared. Then I Sautéed up some Onion, saving a few out for later use and added in all the chopped Garlic until aromatic, I deglazed the pan with a splash of Red Wine Vinegar, at which time I added the diced Jalapeño (seeds and all, you can remove those for a little less spice, but I figured one Jalapeño wouldn't be very spicy in a pan this size) and just about half the other vegetables minus the corn and tomatoes.
and got them mostly soft - probably 7 or 8 minutes.
Once I got the veggies mostly soft, I added a Tablespoon each of Caraway, Coriander, and Fennel, put everything in the blender and blended until nice and smooth.
Once the soup in the blender was smooth and had a nice earthy taste,
I sautéed up the remaining vegetables, adding in the Corn (drained and rinsed), and entire can of Diced Tomatoes until Al dente and mixed well.
Once the large vegetable pieces were cooked a bit, but still somewhat firm, I poured back in the soup from the blender and added Salt and Pepper to taste .. Maybe a teaspoon of each (Mrs. B is not a fan of Salt, so I keep it light in the dish and let folks season at the table).
After letting everything simmer together for about 10 minutes I decided to try a small bowl for quality control and assurance. I was thinking I should put some Heavy Cream in the soup, but not having any on hand, I decided a dollop of Sour Cream on the served bowl would do the trick just fine. Also, I did find the spice level lacking my preference, so I also added a few drops of Louisiana Hot Sauce for good measure, paired this with a nice roasy Oktoberfest and had a Fan-Tastic luch.