Cream of Green Chile Soup

What a week... I had a really big meeting in downtown Austin this week and boy am I glad it is behind me. Lots of work, but it was worth it - turned out to be a successful three day conference. I was exhausted afterwards and thoroughly enjoyed taking today off. Jim had today off also so we went down to one of my favorite lunch spots, Flip Happy Crepes. (That is their trailer above) Ya'll, you have no idea... their food is crazy good. I always get the Pork Special, a handmade crepe filled with pulled pork, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese. Believe it or not, they serve from this  metal airstream trailer parked on a corner in south Austin. Always a line, always worth the wait. I heard Bobby Flay paid them a visit for an episode of Throwdown, although I haven't seen it yet.

Thanks everyone for all the really sweet comments you left on my last post. Jim and I are super excited about our engagement and I can't wait to start planning this wedding. We are researching having our ceremony in California's wine country, anyone have leads on wineries in northern California?

Now lets get on to the recipe all ready! A while back I posted about my attempt to replicate the creamy and spicy chile soup I had while visiting El Paso. I was so happy to actually find the correct recipe for Cream of Green Chile Soup online. Without further ado, here is a fabulous (not fat free) soup from West Texas.


Ingredients:
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
6 to 8 minced garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil plus 1 tablespoon butter
1 pound roasted and peeled green Anaheim chiles, chopped (about 2 pounds fresh)
1 jalapeño chile, minced (I would suggest two)
1/3 cup white wine
4 cups heavy cream
4 cups half-and-half
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 1/2 cups sour cream
white pepper
salt to taste

2 pounds of fresh anaheim chiles, 1 jalapeno pepper (should have used two) and two yellow onions.

I used this Better Than Bouillon jar instead of the the dry powder - Love it! The wine I used is a white from La Yunta. The wine buyer for a local shop here in Austin helped me pick it out.

Don't panic, but this recipe calls for 32 ounces of whipping cream and 32 ounces of half and half. It makes about six cups of delicious soup. I forced myself to divide the soup into four servings and share with friends - this soup was really good and I probably would have slurped up all six servings myself had it been left at my house.

To prepare the chiles, I first rinsed them and placed on a sheet pan to roast in the oven at 400 until charred and blistered.

Meanwhile add the olive oil and butter to a deep heavy bottom stock pot.

When butter has melted and oil is hot, add onions and garlic and saute over medium heat until soft.

When chiles are blistered pull them out of the oven and then we need to steam them so the skin comes off easier.

The best way I came up with is to put them in a bowl with a tight fitted lid.

The bowl fills up with steam from the chiles and I let it sit like this for 10-15 minutes.

Once steamed, lets chop off the stems and peel the skins off.

I'm paranoid about burning my hands and eyes so I usually wear gloves when dealing with peppers or chiles. Seriously, have you ever burned yourself? You will do it only once.

Dice the chiles and jalapeno and add to the onions and garlic. Continue to saute until the veggies are soft and starting to brown.

Now pour in the wine and deglaze the pot, scraping up brown bits on the bottom. Continue to cook until wine has nearly disappeared.

Now we add the chicken bouillon, I love how creamy and concentrated this Better than Bouillon is.

Yes, add all the whipping cream.

Pick yourself up off the floor - now add all the half and half.

Let the mixture come to a boil, then reduce heat to low to allow a small simmer for 45 minutes.

Next, I took my immersion blender and went to town on the pot of soup.

I gave the soup a taste test and it was not spicy enough so I added about two tablespoons of pickled jalapenos from the fridge. I didn't want the soup HOT, but I wanted a soft burn for sure.

We are getting close here. Taste and add white pepper and salt as you like.

Stir in the sour cream and then I pour the mixture cup by cup through a fine mesh strainer.

Straining results in a super creamy and luxurious soup. Oh my, this is a GREAT first course for guests - I'm only making this again for a dinner party since it is just incredibly rich and I don't trust myself alone around this indulgence.

This Cream of Green Chile Soup must be shared with friends and family. Yum!

{Cream of Green Chile Soup}