#AHMRecipes: Green chile corn chowder

Sven Gustafson

| 3 min read

There’s something pretty magical about corn and green chiles. Maybe you’ve had authentic enchiladas verdes from someplace in, say, New Mexico, or you’ve discovered how delicious Poblano or Anaheim chiles are when roasted and peeled, and you’re wondering what to do with that mess of freshly picked corn you bought.
Fortunately, both are in high season right now, making this an excellent time of year to make this soup. It admittedly is a bit labor intensive, but you can save some time by roasting your chiles and dicing some of the vegetables a day ahead. And making a big pot means you’ll have plenty to enjoy for days.
Adding the cobs imparts the corn’s milkiness to the broth. If you want to make this spicier, add some roasted jalapeno or Serrano chiles.

Green chile corn chowder

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, peeled and diced
2 shallots, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
4 large green chiles (such as Anaheim, Hatch or Poblano), roasted, peeled and diced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, chopped
4-5 ears fresh corn, shucked and with kernels shaved off cobs
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 16-ounce box vegetable stock (or use chicken stock if you prefer)
Water to cover
½ cup whipping cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh cilantro, chopped (optional)

Directions

Roast the green chiles in a 375-degree oven over a baking sheet (or slather them in oil and roast over an outdoor grill, turning frequently). When the skin is black all around, put the chiles in a brown paper bag or saucepan with a lid and seal, letting them steam 10-15 minutes. When finished, peel the skins and remove the stems and inner core (if you don’t want it spicy, remove all the seeds). Set aside and reserve any liquid left over from the chiles.
Next, shuck the corn, cleaning off all the silk, and shave the kernels from the cobs using a sharp paring knife, slicing down each inverted cob. Set kernels and shaved cobs aside.
Place a large soup kettle over medium-low heat and add butter and oil. When hot, add onion, shallot and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally with a dash each of salt and pepper, until translucent. Add garlic, carrots, celery, cumin and chiles, along with any liquid left over from roasting, and cook another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, corn kernels and cobs, stock, water to cover, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 45 minutes or so and add salt and pepper as needed. Remove cobs, stir in whipping cream and serve garnished with chopped cilantro, if desired.

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