It’s hard to believe we’re in our third month of ‘Progressive Eats’ and I hope you’re enjoying both this trip down memory lane with our virtual Progressive Dinners but are also visiting some great blogging friends of mine during the process. I’ve seen so many wonderful dishes and today is no different. Milisa, the gal in charge at Miss in the Kitchen, chose a Tex-Mex theme for this month. It’s a good thing I made that trip west to Colorado so many years ago or that would have been a totally foreign concept to me and this Creamy Hatch Green Chili and Cheese Soup would never have happened. Instead Denver has introduced me to peppers and I’ve grown to love most of them and there is nothing quite like the Hatch green chile season that is just now winding down.
I hear the fabulous Hatch chiles are becoming better known all over but for those of us who have eagerly anticipated them each summer they’ve long been a tradition that shows no end in sight. Much like roadside fireworks stand on the 4th of July, we have stands all over the county with big roasters working all day to keep up with the demand. You can easily smell the scent of the peppers in the air before you actually find the location; sort of an adult ‘Hide and Seek’ game!
This soup, while a combination of simple ingredients, turned out wonderful if a bit spicy. A spicy I loved…you know just that slight burn but still allowing the flavor to be forward? I’ll never enjoy something so hot you can barely eat it and so this is not that…but if you are concerned, just cut back on bit on the green chiles to find your perfect quantity.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been sick all week with a miserable cold and right now I can barely keep my head up because I tossed and turned all last night due to constant coughing. So I’m keeping this brief so that I don’t drop right here on my keyboard. Jokingly I told friends maybe I could just say, ‘Lovely soup; make it.’ but that’s not far from the truth. It really is a lovely blend of flavors and that cooling dollop of sour cream combined with a crispy tortilla twist was just perfect; sort of what the doctor ordered.
Please do visit my pals and check out their fabulous recipes too…wouldn’t it be great if we could all really get together and have a huge picnic. I’ll get my backyard ready; just let me know! :)
Here’s a listing of what we’re eating with our Tex Mex theme this month; I think we’ve put together a wonderful end of summer meal with a bit of Tex Mex heat to keep us warm!
Appetizer
- Cheddar, Olive, Tomato Savory Madeleines – Lifes a Feast
Salad
- Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing – Jeanette’s Healthy Living
Soups
- Creamy Hatch Green Chile and Cheese Soup – Creative Culinary
- White Chicken Chili – Healthy Delicious
Main Course
- Epic Creamy Chicken Enchiladas – Miss in the Kitchen
Bread
- Homemade tortillas – Stetted
Sides/Veggies
- Tex Mex Rice with Bacon – The Heritage Cook
- Vegetable Fajitas -
- Pinto Beans with Fresh Tomato Relish – Never Enough Thyme
Beverage
- Frozen Virgin Strawberry Margarita – Barbara Bakes
Desserts
- Mexican Spiced Chocolate Flan – Pastry Chef Online
- Margarita Cheesecake – That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- For the Soup:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 cups Hatch Green Chiles - roasted, cleaned and roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp cumin
- 6 cups chicken stock, warmed
- 1 and 1/2 cups Mexican cheese combination, queso fresca or mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 Tbsp chopped cilantro For the Garnish:
- Fried tortilla strips
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
- 3-4 green onions, chopped
Preparation
- In a large, heavy pot, melt butter over very low heat; add the onion, peppers and garlic and cook over low heat for 10 minutes until vegetables are soft but not browned.
- Add flour and cumin and stir well to blend.
- Pour stock into pot, whisking continuously. Cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat, stir in cheese, add the cilantro and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Pour soup into bowls and garnish with sour cream, cilantro, green onion slices and fried tortilla strips.
Notes
This was nice and spicy and cooled just perfectly with the dollop of sour cream but you can adjust the peppers to your own taste!
2.6http://www.creative-culinary.com/creamy-hatch-green-chile-and-cheese-soup/This recipe brought to you by Creative Culinary | A Food and Cocktail Blog | Website: www.creative-culinary.comWelcome to another edition of Progressive Eats, our virtual version of a progressive dinner party. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, a progressive dinner involves going from house to house, enjoying a different course at each location. With Progressive Eats, a theme is chosen each month, members share recipes suitable for a delicious meal or party, and you can hop from blog to blog to check them out.
We have a core group of 12 bloggers, but we will always need substitutes and if there is enough interest would consider additional groups. To see our upcoming themes and how you can participate, please check out the schedule at Creative Culinary or contact Barb for more information.
This month’s theme is Tex-Mex, hosted by Milisa of Miss in the Kitchen.
