Chipotle Shrimp and Corn Soup

1. For the stock: Heat the olive oil in a medium stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic, and saute about 5 minutes, just to soften. Add salt, peppercorns, and Tabasco chipotle sauce, and stir well.
2. Add shrimp shells and heads to stockpot and bash/mash them around some with a wooden spoon. Pour in the beer and enough water to just barely cover everything in the pot (about 4 cups). Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Add the corn cobs whenever you finish removing the corn kernels from them, but try to get them in the stockpot for at least 20 minutes of simmering.
3. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl, and set aside until needed. You should have a little over 3 cups; if you don’t add it all to the soup, you can freeze what’s left for up to a month.
4. For the soup: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, bell pepper, salt and black pepper, and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add garlic and jalapeno and saute for another minute.
5. Add corn kernels and Tabasco chipotle sauce, stirring well. Add chopped potato and 3 cups of shrimp and corn stock, bring to a simmer over high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until the potato is cooked through.
6. Turn off the heat and stir in the milk. Puree about 1/3 of the soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or remove 2 cups of the soup to a blender or food processor and puree (be careful when pureeing hot liquids–always leave the hole in the lid open, covered with a kitchen towel). Return pureed soup to the pot.
7. Return the heat to medium, bring to a simmer, and add the chopped shrimp. Simmer until the shrimp are just done, about 4 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or more Tabasco chipotle.
8. Serve with cilantro leaves on the top and a big ‘ol squeeze of lime.