There is a great restaurant/bakery in my town and I tried their Potato Corn Chowder with Chili and decided I couldn't live without it. I set out to figure out the recipe and this is what I have come up with.
Equipment for this recipe:
Potato Peeler
Chef's knife
Cutting board
Soup Pot-at least 8 quarts
Small pot 4-6 quarts
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
Ingredients:
4 Cups Frozen Organic Corn (thawed out) Can use fresh if the corn is non-GMO but I have a hard time finding it so I just use the frozen variety.
2 Large Yukon Gold Potatoes-Russets work too. The Gold's just add a buttery texture that is nice.
1 tsp red chili flakes
1/2 pint roasted green chili or poblano chili chopped
1 cup roasted red pepper
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup sugar or sweetener of your choice. I like sugar for this recipe because it is a clean flavor. Honey or Agave can be a little syrupy tasting in this recipe.
2 pints chicken stock(organic or made by you)
2 cups water
Salt and Pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Peel the potatoes cut one potato into chunks and cook it in the small pot with the two cups water until the potatoes have dissolved.
2. Dice the second potato and set it aside.
3. Dice the roasted red pepper* and the chili* of your choice. Dice up the onion and add all the vegetables to the larger pot and saute on med. low temperature until the onions are cooked. You just want to sweat the onions, not cook them to death. Add the red chili flakes and let them bloom for about 30 seconds then add the second diced potato and the corn. Mix it around for about 30 seconds to heat through the thawed corn.
4. Add the chicken stock to the vegetable mixture and let it come to a simmer.
5. Add the thick potato water and let it continue to simmer.
6. At this point, add your salt and pepper to taste. Add the sugar 1 T at a time up to 1/2 cup, to sweeten slightly if needed. Sometimes the chilies can be bitter so the sugar helps offset the bitter flavor in the soup.
7. Add fresh chopped basil and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Check potatoes for doneness and the serve hot with jack cheese and corn chips.
*Roasting chilies and peppers is easy. You can either hold them over the flame of a gas stove until the skin blackens and blisters or just pop them in the oven at 400 degrees and let them roast for about 20 minutes. Peel the skin off and remove the ribs and seeds then chop them up for the soup. Chilies and red peppers can also be purchased already roasted for you. Make sure you get good quality, organic peppers and chilies if they are available. It is worth it to have good quality food in your soup.
