Roasted green chili corn chowder in a bread bowl

It’s finally getting chilly down here in Tucson. The desert only starts to feel like Fall right after Halloween. The days gradually get colder and the nights chillier. Perfect weather for a hearty, spicy chowder. I made the delicious and HOT mistake of adding roasted green chiles, seeds and all. I guess I wasn’t thinking how much of a punch I would get from these green chiles. My gosh was it hot. Did I ever mention to you that I like foods with some heat? Well, I do. But, I think next time I might turn the volume down on the heat and maybe only put a few seeds in, instead of a million!

The inspiration for using green chiles came from my local farmer’s market where each week they roast fresh green chiles over a fire pit before your very eyes. I figured since I love green chile corn bread, why not in a corn chowder.

Just to get an idea of how many seeds were tossed into this chowder, you can see I didn't hold back. Not one bit.

Ingredients

• 1 medium white onion, chopped (approx. 1 cup)
• 2 cups sweet corn kernels
• 3/4 cup roasted green chiles (with seeds, if you want some heat to your soup, or go sans seeds for mild)
• 2 cups organic heavy cream (I personally like the way organic milks taste, but regular heavy cream will work just the same)
• 4 cups organic chicken broth (vegetarians should  replace with vegetable broth)
• 1 teaspoon sea salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 large potatoes (about 2 cups) skinned and chopped into small cubes(this helps to thicken chowder)
• 2 cups white cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Sourdough bread bowls – find them at your local bakery, a must for this soup!

Directions

In a large soup pot over a medium heat, drizzle some olive oil into pot, add chopped onions and cook until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add minced roasted green chilies, corn, potatoes, salt and garlic powder and one cup of chicken broth and mix together for another 5 minutes. Add heavy cream and bring to a light boil for 5 more minutes. Next add the rest of the chicken broth and bring to a light boil for 20 minutes. Reduce to a simmer for another 20 minutes covered. Before serving, sprinkle cheese on top and don’t forget to serve them in a bread bowl! Trust me, you will not want to skip this part.