Simple green chile and potato stew

Now that the majority of the country is fully in a deep freeze, I think we can all agree that gazpacho and a leafy salad sounds like a terrible idea for a meal.  It's time for some heavy, spicy soups, ammiriiiite?

Having grown up in the Midwest in the 80s, I did not know the magical perfection of Hatch green chiles until I moved to the Rocky Mountains in the early 00s. I don't think geography is a problem anymore, though; you can buy perfectly respectable roasted chiles in freezer sections of grocery stores all over the country now. And so that means you can also make this ridiculously simple, tasty stew, which jars well and also keeps in the freezer for a month of so if you make too much (but you won't).

It's a little spicy if you choose hot chiles, so this is best served with a cerveza, parked at a window while the snow comes down.

Green Chile Stew with Potatoes

Serves 4

1 1/2 cups green chiles or poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, and diced
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or other vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1 teaspoon teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon teaspoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium Russet potatoes peeled and chopped into 1 1/2-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
2 cups vegetable stock or water
Sour cream (or Greek yogurt), chopped cilantro, and lime wedges for serving

Heat the oil in a wide pot; add the onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the coriander, cumin, garlic, and potatoes, followed by the chile, along with 1/2 teaspoon salt and give a stir. Cook together of a few minutes, then add the water or stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
Cook and cover until the potatoes are completely softened, about 25 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. At this point you can mash the potatoes, or at least a few of them to give the stew a thicker texture, if desired.

Pour into a bowl; add a dollop of sour cream and the chopped cilantro and squeeze lime over the top.

Easy blended soups for the year

Mark Bittman's newest cookbook, Kitchen Matrix, is the most practical, improvisatory cookbook I have ever read.  It is exactly how I cook--the recipe serves as a basic set of principles (ratios, food groups that compliment each other), and the actual ingredients can vary within that general formula.  He does provide measurements and discuss techniques, for those of you who don't feel comfortable with this method, but each master recipe is laid out with variations, like a master class on soup, or miso, for instance.  

I have been enjoying my own alterations of his variations in the book, particularly at night, when all I really need is a salad before bedtime, but the cold temps have me craving soup instead.  A few vegetables, some water, and a good blender will make these a reality in 30 minutes, tops. 

Puréed Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

1 pound asparagus, trimmed and roughly chopped

½ yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed

2 pieces whole wheat bread, broken into big pieces

2 cups tightly packed spinach

½ teaspoon Herbes de Provence

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Olive oil to drizzle and/ or plain yogurt (optional)

In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, place the asparagus, onion, and garlic. Add water until vegetables are just barely covered, toss in about a teaspoon of salt, and cover.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for about 15 minutes or until very soft.  Stir in the spinach and bread and let it soften for a minute or two, then pour everything into your blender.

Blend until smooth, then pour back into the pot.  Stir in the Herbes de Provence, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve in individual bowls with a little olive oil drizzled on top, or a scoop of plain yogurt. You can also serve with extra lemon wedges if you like more acidity. 

Curried Potato and Cauliflower Vichyssoise

Serves 4

1 small head cauliflower, roughly chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

½ yellow onion

1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon curry powder

4 cups water

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro to garnish (optional)

In a Dutch oven or large stock pot, combine the cauliflower, potatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, curry powder, and water. Add two teaspoons salt, cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are very soft, 15-20 minutes.

Pour into a blender and purée until smooth. Pour back into the pot and add the lemon juice and yogurt.  Heat through, 3-4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Add chopped fresh cilantro to individual bowls if desired. 

Two more soups for leftovers

BO-RING!  These soups will make it better.

More simple things to do with the stuff you didn't finish after your holiday meal...

Cheesy baked potato soup

Serves 4

Skip ahead if you have enough leftover mashed potato to use...

2 tablespoons butter

1 small yellow onion, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

4 large russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes (or a combination of russet and sweet)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 cup sour cream or Greek style plain yogurt

2 teaspoons salt

Freshly ground black pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

2 slices crisp bacon or Morningstar Breakfast Strips, crumbled (optional)

Heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; when it foams, add the onion.  Sauté  until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add salt, garlic and chopped potato and sauté another 3 or 4 minutes, stirring constantly to keep potato from sticking.  Add 2 cups of the vegetable broth, stir, cover and bring to a boil.  Once boil begins, lower to a simmer and cook about 15 minutes, until potato is soft enough to mash. 

Mash the potato mixture in the pan with a hand masher or use an immersion blender to create creamy mashed potatoes. Add the other 2 cups of broth, sour cream and cheese and stir to incorporate.  Cover  and lower heat to medium-low until cheese is melted into soup, about 5 minutes.  Add black pepper to taste.  Garnish with chopped green onion and bacon, if desired (you can also top with additional cheese and sour cream if you have it). 

Chicken Vatapa

Serves 6

Vatapa is a traditional rustic Brazilian stew, and it's flavorful enough to cover up the gaminess of leftover poultry.  Best of all, it’s all done in 30 minutes.

1 teaspoon canola oil

½ cup finely chopped onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger (purchase ready-to-go in the produce section of Safeway on 3rd Ave.)

1 jalapeno pepper, minced (remove seeds for milder flavoring)

1 cup water

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice

1 (12 oz.) can light beer

¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts

3 cups cooked chicken or turkey

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon lime juice

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic, ginger, and jalapeno and sauté 2 minutes or until onion is soft.  Stir in water, tomatoes in their juice, and beer.  Bring to boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. 

Place peanuts in a spice or coffee grinder (or a good old-fashioned nut grinder) and process until finely ground.  Add ground peanuts, chicken, and coconut milk to Dutch oven, stirring to combine.  Increase heat to medium.  Bring mixture to a simmer and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in parsley, cilantro, lime juice, salt, and pepper. 

Don't say I never gave ya nuthin'.