Duarte’s Style Cream of Green Chile Soup
Course: SoupsCuisine: Southwestern, New Mexico, CaliforniaDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes40
minutes1
hourThere’s a little tavern just off the coast in Pescadero, California called Duarte’s. A great place to stop for a warm lunch after a day at the coast. My favorite thing on their menu is the Cream of Green Chile soup. It’s warm, just a bit spicy, and always delicious. I was craving it, but was way too far away and decided to try to figure out how to make it at home.
I haven’t ever seen a recipe for any version of green chile soup, but I stumbled across an article about Duarte’s most famous soup, their cream of artichoke soup that was published in Saveur. After a little experimentation, I adapted that for green chile and it’s wonderful! Warm, delicious, smooth. The way the green chile and and the cream interact and mingle on the tongue. Amazing!
Note: One note about the heat level of the green chile – stick with mild or medium — it’s way easier to add heat later, if needed. But this soup isn’t about extreme heat, it’s about the divine way that the cream and heat mingle on your tongue.
Ingredients
2 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 head of garlic cloves, chopped
2-2.5 pounds roasted, cleaned, chopped green chile (mild or medium – see note)
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Lime wedges, croutons, etc. for serving
Directions
- Melt the butter on medium high then add the onion.
- Sweat the onion until just soft.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the green chile and chicken stock and stir. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
- Pour cooked soup into a blender or use an immersion blender and blend for 3-5 minutes. The soup needs to be super smooth.
If the soup is too thick, add just enough water to get it to a soup consistency. - Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve to remove any bits of chile skin, seeds, etc. and return to heat.
- Over low, add the cream and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve however you wish. I suggest with a lime or lemon wedge, garlic chiles, hot sauce, etc.
February 25, 2020 at 4:09 am
So I asked one of the cooks there all of the ingredients and it was this but with mushrooms (!!?) and vegetable broth instead of chicken. Wondering how they incorporate the mushroom….
February 25, 2020 at 4:13 am
Trader Joe’s sells “Umami Powder” in the spice section. One of the main ingredients is dried mushroom powder. So this makes sense as a flavor booster. Thanks for the tip!
August 7, 2022 at 8:30 pm
i culled most of the seads out while skinning chard chilies , pulsed blender for small bits consistency is good, simmered much longer before adding heavy cream, corn starch & salt. T U Duarte