• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
LunaCafe

LunaCafe

Regional, seasonal food with original recipes by Susan S. Bradley

  • Home
  • About Us
    • Getting Started
    • About LunaCafe
    • About Susan S. Bradley
    • About James H. Bradley
  • Holiday
    • Christmas Cookies: Deck the Halls
    • Christmas Cookies: Silver Bells
    • Christmas Favorites: Silver Moon
    • Christmas Cookies: Starry Night
  • Fresh Primers
    • Apple Primer
    • Apple Cider Primer
    • Artichoke Primer
    • Blueberry Primer
    • Cherry Primer
    • Cranberry Primer
    • Lentil Primer
    • Pear Primer
    • Rhubarb Primer
    • Strawberry Primer
    • Winter Squash Primer
    • Cranberry Garnishes
    • Temperature Guide for Cooking
  • Show Search
Hide Search
Home/Autumn Leaves/Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes & Italian Kale

Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes & Italian Kale

This hearty, full-meal chowder relies on Green Chile Crema, which gives it a discernible green chile flavor and color. Heaven in a bowl.

Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes and Italian Kale

We’re settled into our Portland city digs for a few weeks, and one of the things we did on our first weekend here was hoof it over to the Portland Farmers Market. To tell you that the market was glorious yesterday morning is to be guilty of careless understatement. It was over-the-top magnificent!

Peppers, peppers everywhere, in every color and every shape imaginable, freshly dug potatoes, heaps of various types of kale, a colorful abundance of winter squash, dozens of varieties of apples and pears, wild mushrooms, heirloom carrots, heirloom tomatoes, apple cider, new crop hazelnuts, and the last of 3 varieties of fresh corn. My mind was reeling with the possibilities. But what should I cook?

Poblano Peppers, Italian Red Pepper, Yellow Onions, Fresh Oregano, and Italian Kale

Somehow, in the excitement of so much plenty, I ended up with 6 firm, fat poblano peppers, 2 elongated Italian red peppers, several serrano chilies, a huge bunch of dark green Italian kale, Italian parsley, oregano, rosemary, 3 small baking pumpkins, a couple pounds of yellow Finn potatoes, a bag of baby shiitake mushrooms, green onions, shallots, yellow onions, garlic, a quart of Jacob’s Creamery sweet cream, and a long loaf of seed-crusted bread.

Oh yes, and a dozen of the most beautiful orange dahlias ever. I even toyed with the idea of buying one of the artfully arranged fall wreaths, until I realized I would have to wear it around my neck in order to get it home.

Thank goodness for the streetcar and MauiJim, because it would have been mighty difficult to lug everything by myself, 2.5 miles across town to the extreme northern edge of the Pearl district (which we affectionately call “the burbs”).

Cubed Yellow Finn Potatoes

After we hopped the streetcar, MauiJim asked the inevitable: “What are you going to make with all that?” Thinking fast, I said, “Soup.” Not to be deterred, he asked “What kind of soup?” “Chowder,” I said. He looked doubtful. “Green Chile Chowder, I proclaimed confidently.”

I have no idea where that proclamation came from, but obviously, those poblano peppers and serrano chiles were speaking to me. As an artist, I’ve always loved the idea that the finished creation is already present in the raw materials. You simply have to be receptive. So after we got home, I laid out all my purchases, asked them what they wanted to be for dinner, and then selected those that spoke to me. The result? A creamy, spicy, colorful fall vegetable chowder with enough substance and interest to present as a main course. In short, wonderful. In the future, I will listen to the vegetables more often.

Base for Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes and Italian Kale

Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes & Italian Kale

This fall chowder relies on Green Chile Crema, which gives it a delicate but discernible green chile flavor and color. Yellow Finn potatoes provide additional richness and substance, while dark Italian kale adds an almost meaty undertone and nice chewiness. The result is a hearty, full-meal chowder. A loaf of freshly baked, whole grain bread is a perfect accompaniment.

Note   The poblano peppers were uncharacteristically spicy-hot, so I ended up not adding serrano chiles to the chowder as originally intended. Taste your poblanos, and if they are very mild, consider adding 1-2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, ribbed, and minced to the chowder.

Green Chile Crema

¼ cup olive oil
3 cups finely chopped yellow onion (1 medium-large onion)
2 tablespoons fresh, chopped oregano
3½ cups chicken or vegetable stock (two 14-ounce cans)

1½ pounds small Yellow Finn (or Yukon Gold) potatoes, scrubbed vigorously, and cut into ¾-inch cubes
2 large poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded, ribbed and cut into ¾-inch squares (2 cups chopped)
1 large red bell or Italian bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, ribbed and cut into ¾-inch squares (1 cup chopped)

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

2 cups coarsely chopped Italian or green kale (4 ounces)

1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Garnish
¼ cup finely chopped Italian parsley
¼ cup finely chopped green onion

  1. Make Green Chile Crema.
  2. In a large casserole or soup pot, heat the olive oil, and add the onions and oregano. Cook over medium-low heat until the onions are translucent and tender, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add chicken stock and potatoes. Cover partially and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are almost tender, about 12-15 minutes.
  4. Add the peppers and cook for 4 minutes longer.
  5. Add 3 cups Green Chile Crema, and simmer for another 2-3 minutes to meld the flavors.
  6. Make a slurry by combining the flour in a small bowl with 3 tablespoons of stock. Whisk until the mixture is creamy and lump-free, adding the remaining 3 tablespoons stock a little at a time as you proceed.
  7. Pour the flour slurry through a strainer into the soup, stirring constantly, and bring the soup to a simmer to activate the starch in the flour.
  8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Just before serving, toss in the kale and simmer for 1 minute, until the kale just wilts.
  10. To serve, ladle the soup into wide-rimmed bowls.
  11. Top with a bit of the optional garnishes.

Makes about 12 cups; serves 6-8 (1½- to 2-cup servings).

Copyright 2010-2019 Susan S. Bradley. All rights reserved. 

Written by:
Susan S. Bradley
Published on:
October 25, 2009

Categories: Autumn Leaves, Chile Peppers, Fall & Winter Soups, Soups | Bisques | ChilisTags: Autumn Leaves, chowder, Fall, Italian kale, poblano peppers, Soup

About Susan S. Bradley

Intrepid cook, food writer, culinary instructor, creator of the LunaCafe blog, author of Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking, and former director of the Northwest Culinary Academy.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kim

    November 21, 2009 at 12:34 pm

    I love this soup. I’m adventerous and to me recipes are good suggestions, so I smoked black kale for about 5 min over applewood chips and added some roasted fresh corn just cause I had some leftover and this seemed like a great use for it. The smokiness added a really great dimension to it and it was raved over! Thanks for these recipes!

    • sms bradley

      December 5, 2009 at 2:08 pm

      Wow, Kim, that sounds marvelous! You have made me hungry. 🙂

  2. Jenn/CinnamonQuill

    November 2, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    Gorgeous! Simply gorgeous! And maybe this recipe will convince another member of my household to actually like kale?! I think it’s possible!
    .-= Jenn/CinnamonQuill´s last blog ..World Peace (Cookies) For Vegans =-.

    • sms bradley

      November 2, 2009 at 11:26 pm

      Thank you Jenn! 🙂 Oh yes, this recipe might do it. Kale actually has a very mild flavor and in this soup it contributes more texture and color than actual taste.

  3. Anonymous

    October 31, 2009 at 9:42 am

    A perfect example of a combination of healtht, tasty and nutritious. Yummy! Can’t wait to give it a try, though I doubt my version will look as apetizing. Thanks for sharing Rgds.

    • sms bradley

      November 2, 2009 at 11:33 pm

      Thank you! 🙂 Your version will look EXACTLY this delicious, possibly even more so. What I love about blogging versus writing for magazines and cookbooks is that the food are never manipulated in strange ways for the photos. Is there anything more discouraging than spending a few hours making a recipe and then realizing that there is no way the dish could look as it is pictured in the magazine? I think truthful representation should be the standard for food writing.

  4. Dana Zia

    October 28, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    Hey Goddess of Good food!
    Came on over to see what wondrous yummies you are cooking up. This soup sounds just up my line! I will definitely be making it, just as soon as I get over making halloween goodies. The new look of your blog is lovely! I suspect you are a whiz at computers, mai non? Did you move or just get back from a trip?
    .-= Dana Zia´s last blog ..Spooky Kooky treats! =-.

    • sms bradley

      October 30, 2009 at 10:59 pm

      Hi Dana! 🙂 I’m so glad you like the new site design. Plenty of wonky past post pages still to fix. The change in width of the main column threw all the previous posts off. MauiJim (CoyoteTech) gets all the credit for the redesign and implementation. I was nervous about his proposal but do very much like the results.

      LOL, did I make it sound like we moved? Actually we had just been at the country digs longer than usual (2 months!) and now we are back in downtown Portland for a few weeks. I love city life in the winter. We walk everywhere.

      Hope all is going well in lovely Manzanita. Are you all decked out for Halloween?

  5. Karine

    October 27, 2009 at 5:04 pm

    That a hearty and delicious soup! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    • sms bradley

      October 27, 2009 at 7:59 pm

      Thank you, Karine! 🙂

  6. Karly

    October 27, 2009 at 7:44 am

    This looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe.
    .-= Karly´s last blog ..Pumpkin Streusel Muffins =-.

    • sms bradley

      October 27, 2009 at 7:58 pm

      Thanks so much, Karly! Looks like we are both on a pumpkin spree this fall. Your muffins look delectable. 🙂

  7. danielle

    October 26, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    omg…that soups looks incredible!! with all the time I’ve spent in the south I’ve never had kale.
    .-= danielle´s last blog ..Pomegranate Khoresh with Chicken =-.

    • sms bradley

      October 27, 2009 at 8:03 pm

      Thank you, Danielle! 🙂 Kale is one of those greens that is underused by almost everyone. It’s so versatile though and really perfect in this soup.

  8. Sophie

    October 26, 2009 at 1:36 am

    a divine looking soup !!! MMMMMMMMMMMM,…all the way!!
    .-= Sophie´s last blog ..Aplle & cranberry juice infused oatmeal with cranberries, cinamon & pecans =-.

    • sms bradley

      October 27, 2009 at 10:22 pm

      Thank you, Sophie! 🙂

Trackbacks

  1. Cannellini Bean Soup with Italian Sausage, Fingerling Potatoes & Broccoli Raab says:
    March 13, 2014 at 8:23 pm

    […] Green Chile Chowder with Yellow Finn Potatoes & Italian Kale […]

Explore more

Footer

The LunaCafe

Copyright 2014-2021 | Susan S. Bradley. All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2025 · Navigation Pro by Shay Bocks · Built on the Genesis Framework · Powered by WordPress

  • Block Examples