Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 3 guajillo peppers
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 medium sized yellow potatoes (about 1 pound, peeled and cubed)
  • 1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)
  • 2 jalapeno peppers (chopped)
  • 1 stalk celery (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (chopped)
  • 2-3 tablespoons spicy chili powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 4 cups chicken (or vegetable stock)
  • 1 cup melty cheese (shredded , or more as desired – cheddar is good, or American)

Instruction

  • Heat a pan to medium heat and dry toast the dried peppers until they become fragrant, about 30 seconds per side. Remove them from the heat and add them to a pot of boiling water, just enough to cover them.
  • Turn off the heat and let them rehydrate for 20 minutes.
  • When the peppers are rehydrated, drain them but reserve a few tablespoons of the darkened water. Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and add them to a food processor with the reserved water and process to form a paste. Strain, if desired, to remove any remaining bits.
  • Heat a large pot to medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the potatoes, carrot, peppers and celery and cook, stirring a bit, about 10 minutes to soften everything up.
  • Add the garlic, chili powder, salt and pepper and stir. Cook another minute.
  • Add the white wine to deglaze the pan. Stir up the brown bits from the bottom.
  • Add the chicken stock and swirl in your chili paste. Let it simmer for 20 minutes, though you can easily simer longer to further develop the flavor.
  • Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
  • At this point, you can transfer as much to a food processor and process until smooth. I like to process only about half and leave it a bit chunky. You can also use stick blender.
  • Swirl in the cheese and stir until it is nicely melted through.
  • Serve in bowls with fresh herbs, limes, chili flakes and crackers.