She Who Must Be Obeyed and I just arrived back in Montana in the wee hours this morning; it’s almost unspeakably delightful to be back in home country once again.
While January days in the mid-60s (or warmer) have allowed an unprecedented fajita taco run back in Texas the past few weeks, when we picture this time of year in our collective mind’s eye, we see cold, almost monochromatic landscapes under the funky Montana, Big Sky sunlight and messy fly tying desks for weeks on end.
January is soup time in the Northern Rockies (and other mountain country places); we all have our favorites I’d guess, and we’ve shared a fair number of ours here on Chi Wulff.
Chowder almost always scores big around our camp, and I’m in particular partial to corn chowders. Throw in Southwestern cuisine inspired vegetables and spices and I’m going to shovel your driveway, reload the firewood bin and clean the kitchen in trade for a bowl or two.
We ran across this Sweet Potato Corn Chowder at a neighbor’s just after the holidays; she had amped it up with chipotle powder and big handful of cilantro at the end, though she admitted her husband likes it just as much with basil subbed for the cilantro (leave the lime out in that case).
Either way you put this one together, give it a try and I’ll bet you’ll put it in the regular rotation just like we did.
8 slices bacon, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
3-4 large carrots, 1/3-inch dice
3-4 celery ribs, 1/3-inched dice
1 and 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/3-inch dice (browned first if desired)
1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
1.5 lb corn kernels (4 ears fresh, or use frozen)
2 cups heavy cream
1.5 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper or chipotle powder
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro OR basil
Juice from 1-2 limes (skip if going with basil over cilantro)Garnish at serving with: grated extra-sharp cheddar, chopped chives or scallions, and a sprinkle of smoked paprika or more chipotle powder.
Crisp the bacon in your trusty dutch oven over medium heat, remove, drain and hold.
Sauté the onion, bell peppers, carrots and celery in the bacon fat (you really only need a couple of tbsp. of fat) until softened; should take 10 minutes or so. If desired, add the sweet potatoes about halfway through to caramelize them a bit.
Now make a chowder. Add the spuds if you haven’t already, along with the broth and water; simmer covered until the potatoes are just getting tender (15 minutes or so). Now add the corn and cream, bring back to a very gentle simmer for another 10 minutes or so.
Turn off the heat, season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in either the lime juice and cilantro OR the basil.
Serve in pre-warmed bowls, topped with a generous handful of cheese, the chopped chives or scallions and a sprinkle of paprika / chipotle powder.
Enjoy.
