Corn and Chile Chowder

Call it a chowder, call it a soup, just don’t call me late to the table. We’re having a sparkling, beautiful day here, but it’s in the 40’s in mid-November. The day calls out for something warm and comforting. I seriously considered adding bacon into this and please feel to do so, if you want, but I like how the sweetness of the corn and the spiciness of the peppers come through. Wow. I have mine with sour cream, shredded cheddar and a great grilled cheese made on my friend David’s Red Onion Cheese Bread.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup chopped onion

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped carrot

¼ cup chopped red or yellow (or mix) sweet peppers

1 medium poblano (or ancho) pepper, seeded and chopped

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1 cup chopped russet or Yukon gold potatoes (bite size pieces)

1 (14.75 oz) can creamed corn

2 cups frozen corn, thawed

2 cups unsalted vegetable stock

2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)

½ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper (or to taste)

1 vegetable bouillon cube

½ cup half and half (I used fat free)

Garnishes (optional) choose any or all:

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar

Toasted Herb Bread

Crumbled bacon

Squeeze of lime juice

Chopped cilantro, parsley or chives

Crushed tortilla chips

Directions: Heat the oil over medium low heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the onions, celery, carrots, sweet peppers and poblano. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are soft and fragrant but not brown (about 8 minutes). Add the green chiles, potatoes, corn (both kinds), stock, salt, pepper and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes and the potatoes are soft enough to put a fork through.  Increase heat to medium and stir in the half and half. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered and serve with garnishes and some lovely bread.