Green Chile Chowder for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays and Cookbook Spotlight: "The Homesick Texan Cookbook"

I have already made three delicious recipes from The Homesick Texan Cookbook by Lisa Fain, (Pork Tacos, Dallas Gas Station Style & Austin-Style Black Beans and Poblano Macaroni and Cheese), so there was a little pressure in choosing a recipe myself. Of course I headed straight to the Chilis, Soups, and Stews section and the Green Chili Chowder immediately jumped out at me. Poblanos, jalapenos and potatoes mixed with cumin, cilantro and lime sounded like a big bowl of tasty comfort.


I did make a few minor changes (in red below), mainly leaving the dairy milk out and substituting almond milk and soy creamer and upping the amounts of garlic, cumin and lime. The result was warm, nicely spicy and full of flavor.

Fain says, "This recipe for green chile chowder was adapted from Seasoned with the Sun, the Junior League of El Paso's cookbook. From the original recipe I increased the numbers of chiles, thew in cumin, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice, and lightened it up by omitting a butter-and-flour roux. I find that this soup is quite versatile. Served warm with cheese melted on top, it staves off the cold. Served chilled with a squirt of lime and tortilla chips, it's light and refreshing."


Green Chile Chowder
Adapted slightly from "The Homesick Texan Cookbook"
(Makes 6-8 Servings)

4 poblano chiles
2 jalapeno chiles
1 Tbsp unsalted butter (I used olive oil)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves)
2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (I used veggie stock)
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin (I used 1 Teaspoon)
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup half-and-half (I used a plain soy creamer)
salt and black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp lime juice (I used 4 Tbsp)
grated Jack cheese, tortilla chips, and chopped cilantro, for serving

Roast the poblano chiles and jalapenos under the broiler until blackened, about 5 minutes per side. Place the poblano chiles in a paper sack or plastic food storage bag, close it tightly, and let the chiles steam. Meanwhile, remove stems and seeds from the jalapenos and dice. After 20 minutes, take the poblanos out of the bag and rub off the skin. Remove seeds and stems and then dice the poblano chiles.

In a large pot, heat the butter on medium heat until it's melted. Add the diced onions and cook for 10 minutes or just until they're about to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 more seconds. Add to the pot the diced poblano and jalapeno chiles, the potatoes, broth, cilantro, and cumin. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

Scoop out 2 cups of the soup and set aside. Puree the rest of the soup until smooth and then mix the smooth with the chunky. Add the milk and half-and-half to the soup and cook until warm. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Squeeze in the lime juice and serve either warm or chilled, with grated Monterey Jack cheese, tortilla chips, and extra cilantro.


Notes/Results: Another wonderful recipe from Lisa Fain. This chowder has layers of flavor. The roasted poblano provide a gentle almost sweet spice and the jalapenos add a definite kick. It was perfect for me but you could add more or less chiles based on your preferences. I used dairy-free milk alternatives as I have been trying to reduce dairy, which worked well and kept the chowder creamy. My one change would be to only puree half the chowder, rather than just leaving out two cups of the chunky chowder. I think it would still be very creamy and I like lots of chunks of potatoes and chile. I served it with cheese on top (I said limit my dairy remember ;-) and the Tillamook Black Pepper Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar Cheese I used is pretty addicting), and tortilla chips on the side. I did try it cold with another shot of lime juice and it was good that way but I like my chowder warm and eating it with the melty cheese stirred throughout is my preferred way of enjoying it.




*This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

There are a few good friends waiting in the Souper Sunday kitchen today, let's take a look.

Joining me in comforting chowder is Joanne from Eats Well With Others with this comforting Caramelized Onion, Cabbage and Sweet Potato Chowder with Rosemary that she posted at her guest-hosting gig on Marcus Samuelsson's Blog. She says it is, "a delicious cross between soup and stew that helped me realize just how important sweet potatoes are to me."



Graziana from Erbe in Cucina is back from her holidays with this colorful Fried Peppers Salad with Mint. She says, "Senise Peppers are small sweet peppers with elongated form, from Basilicata, Italy. They are used mainly for the traditional recipe 'peperoni cruschi': they should be dried and then fried. I will dry my next Senise harvest, but I wanted to taste them, so I fried them fresh and seasoned with aromatic herbs"



Janet from The Taste Space stopped by with this Skillet-Toasted Corn, Tomato and Anasazi Bean Salad and says, "Buying a dozen ears of corn on impulse means lots of corny recipes!Eating corn as a simple side is delicious right from the cob, but my specialty is one-pot meals. Preferably with beans. I have started to feel that a meal isn’t complete if there are no beans. I miss them that much. ;) "

Tigerfish of Teczcape-An Escape to Food has been loving her quinoa lately and has this Roasted Cauliflower Quinoa Salad with Nori Seaweed to share. She says, "With quinoa, I don't even need any salad dressing to combine the salad ingredients as one. The quinoa somehow binds everything together - ingredients (vegetables) and flavors, plus a series of textures. Love love love."

Pam from Sidewalk Shoes tried this healthy Spelt Chicken Salad with Romaine, Olives and Sage. She says, "You all know I buy a rotisserie chicken every week, so every week I find a recipe to use up that leftover rotisserie chicken. Some are more successful then others. This one…very successful. This was the perfect combination of flavors. The spelt was chewy, the romaine crisp, the olives added just the right tang. I also subbed rosemary for the sage, because I just felt like it."



It's always a pleasure when Foodycat joins in. Here is her prize-winning "Sandwich Heaven" Torta, about which she says, "It's a very clever combination of ingredients. The earthy beans, creamy avocado and sparkling acid salsa are equal players with the crisp refreshing lettuce, fatty, spicy sausage and subtle fire of the chipotle mayo. All conveniently encased in a sandwich thick enough to keep your fingers moderately clean."

Thanks to everyone who joined in with their recipes on this day of remembrance. If you have a soup, salad, or sandwich that you would like to share, just click on the Souper Sundays logo on the side bar for all of the details.

Take care of yourself and hold close those you love,