Creamy Green Chile and Bay Shrimp Chowder

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This soup started as a seafood sauce for enchiladas, but the staff at the Mountain Road Cafe couldn’t keep their spoons out of it, so W.C. turned it into a soup. It’s very rich and hearty and can be garnished with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups W.C.’s Green Chile Sauce (see recipe)

  • 4 cups homemade chicken stock

  • 3 cups white sauce (see Joy of Cooking)

  • 1 cup peas, shelled or frozen

  • 2 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic

  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaf

  • 3/4 teaspoon basil leaf

  • 1 pound bay shrimp left whole

  • 1 cup milk

Instructions

In a pot, combine the Green Chile Sauce and chicken Stock and heat to a simmer. Blend in the white sauce by whipping vigorously. Add the remaining ingredients except the milk and simmer for 15 minutes. Then add the milk slowly, stirring constantly to avoid burning. Serve hot, garnished with croutons.

Double Chile Vegtable Stew

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Poblano chiles are used here for their flavor and serranos for their serious bite in this hearty stew that’s perfect for a crisp fall day. This is an understated fusion dish with vegetables from all over the globe. Serve this with cornbread.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

  • 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

  • 3 poblano chiles, roasted and peeled, seeds and stems removed, chopped

  • 1 medium bunch bok choy, chopped medium

  • 1 bunch scallions, chopped medium

  • 1 leek, white part only, cut into 1/4 inch rings

  • 1 large head cabbage, chopped medium

  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

  • 2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

  • 1/4 cup dry white wine

  • 4 cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomato

  • 12 ounce can tomato puree

  • 1 medium onion, chopped fine

  • 6 serrano chiles, seeds and stems removed, chopped fine

  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine

  • 3 cups homemade beef stock

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 3/4 tablespoons sugar

  • 1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a stock pot and boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Won Ton Soup Broth

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Chileheads requiring pungency other than from the won tons can add five or six whole chile pods such as santaka or piquin to this broth. Remove them before serving.

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ quarts homemade chicken stock

  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon five-spice powder

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon hoi sin sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine

  • 1 cup chopped scallions (1/8 inch long, cut on a bias)

Instructions

Heat the stock in a large pot and add the ginger, five-spice powder, sugar, and hoi sin sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the rice wine, and cook for 5 minutes.

 

Lemon Grass-Gingered Chicken Wonton Soup

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You can buy ground chicken from your butcher, but be sure to specify that the skin should be removed before grinding. Or you can use a food processor with a sharp blade chop your own chicken, but use the pulse mode to get the proper consistency. Serve this with a cold Tsingtao beer.

Ingredients

For the Soup:

  • 1 pound ground chicken (dark meat)

  • ½ cup finely chopped spinach leaves

  • 1 ½ tablespoons sherry

  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1/4 cup shredded fresh ginger

  • 2 stalks lemon grass, minced

  • 1 ½ tablespoons finely chopped fresh Asian chiles, or substitute serranos

  • 40 to 50 prepared wonton skins

  • 3 quarts Wonton Soup Broth (see recipe)

  • Peanut oil

  • Chopped parsley for garnish

For the Broth:

  • 3 ½ quarts homemade chicken stock

  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1 teaspoon five-spice powder

  • 2 teaspoons sugar

  • 1 tablespoon hoi sin sauce

  • 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine

  • 1 cup chopped scallions (1/8 inch long, cut on a bias)

 

 

Instructions

For the Soup:

Heat the stock in a large pot and add the ginger, five-spice powder, sugar, and hoi sin sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the rice wine, and cook for 5 minutes. 

For the Broth:

Heat the stock in a large pot and add the ginger, five-spice powder, sugar, and hoi sin sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium, add the rice wine, and cook for 5 minutes.

Sancoche

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Depending on the cook, this rather amazing stew from the eastern Caribbean–particularly Trinidad and Barbados–can contain up to ten starchy ingredients, including yams, tannia, eddoes, taro, cassava, yuca, bananas, potatoes, pumpkin, and plantains. But since many of these ingredients are both hard to find and have similar flavors, I have adjusted the recipe somewhat.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound corned beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 1 pound beef, cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 2 large onions, chopped

  • 2 quarts beef stock

  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

  • 1 cup yellow split peas (or substitute blackeyed peas)

  • 1 cup coconut cream

  • 1 pound sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 2 green plantains, peeled and thickly sliced

  • 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

  • 2 Congo peppers (habaneros), left whole

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large stock pot, saute the corned beef and the other beef cubes in the oil until slightly browned, then add the onions and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beef stock, the garlic, and the split peas; cover, and simmer for 1 hour.

Add the remaining ingredients, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Add more stock if necessary.

Remove the Congo peppers, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot with a crusty French bread..