Last night's supper

Last night I tried out a recipe I found on a blog I like called the Homesick Texan. Her Green Chile Chowder looked very appealing, but I figured I wouldn't have a hope in hell of finding poblano peppers around these parts. But while grocery-shopping in Ottawa last week, what did we spy but piles and piles of them! Problem solved.

The recipe called for four poblanos and two jalapenos. Since Gordon was out planting 20 butternut saplings last night, I decided to photograph the making of supper. (We received the saplings free from a local programme that is studying the butternut canker decimating those trees in this area.)

Here are Yukon Gold potatoes from last year's garden. Sadly, the few ones left are all starting to sprout madly and will soon be inedible, but I broke the sprouts off these ones:

The noble onion...

And garlic from last year's garden. My garlic is also starting to sprout but is in better shape than the potatoes!

Cumin, one of my favourite spices...

The recipe called for blackening the peppers under the grill, which I did:

Partly-incinerated jalapeno:

And here's the chowder at the start of cooking. The recipe called for peeling the potatoes but I didn't, because I like the peels...

After some cooking, you pureed all but two cups of the chowder, returned everything to the pot, and added milk and half-and-half:

I served it with grated cheese (I had marbled, so I used that, but I suspect something like Monterey Jack would be preferable), cilantro and tortilla chips...

We both thought it was very delicious, although next time I'd probably use one jalapeno instead of two, since I can't handle heat the way I used to. But I will definitely make this again, and tonight we're having leftovers!

Here's the recipe again.