By Great Chile Day, Year 4. Thirty-five pounds of Hatch green chiles, roasted in the backyard on a July Saturday that was 114 degrees at 8 AM, which means I started at 6 AM and finished by noon because even Hatch chile devotion has a heat limit. This year's crew: me, Sofia (veteran peeler, four years running), Mrs. Patterson (first timer, enthusiastic, terrible at peeling — she left too much flesh on the skin and I did not correct her because you do not correct a sixty-seven-year-old retired teacher on her first Chile Day), and Diego.
Diego participated for the first time. Not as a peeler — he is three and a half and his fine motor skills are still in the "destroy" category, not the "delicate" category — but as the official water boy. He carried cups of water from the kitchen to the patio with the gravity of a surgeon carrying a transplant organ. He spilled approximately half of every cup. He did not care. He was part of it. He was included. That is all he has ever wanted.
Twenty-five bags in the freezer this year — a new record. The surplus goes to: my parents (four bags), the firehouse (three bags), Mrs. Patterson (two bags — she is now a convert), the Nguyens (one bag), and the neighborhood cooking crew's communal pantry (two bags). The rest is ours. The freezer is full. The winter is funded. The green chile stew will flow.
Roberto came over for the evening and I made the first batch of the season: green chile stew with the day's chiles. Not from the freezer — from the roasting, still warm, the chiles cut and stirred directly into the pot with pork and potato and garlic and the unmistakable perfume of fresh-roasted Hatch that no freezer can fully preserve. The difference between fresh-roasted and frozen is the difference between a live concert and a recording. Both are good. One vibrates.
Roberto ate two bowls. He said nothing. He does not need to say anything about the green chile stew. The empty bowl is the review. The empty bowl has always been the review.
The green chile stew I made for Roberto that night is not a recipe I can fully hand you — it lives in the roasting smoke and the timing and the specific weight of a day like that one, and it changes every year. But the soup I reach for on every other night of winter, when the bags are stacked in the freezer and the house is finally quiet and I just need something warm and uncomplicated and good, is this one. Five ingredients. Thirty minutes. The empty bowl is still the review.
5-Ingredient Broccoli Cheese Soup
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen broccoli florets, roughly chopped
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 8 oz Velveeta or processed cheese, cubed (or 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar)
Instructions
- Sweat the onion. In a large pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter or oil. Cook the diced onion for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add broth and broccoli. Pour in the chicken broth and add the chopped broccoli. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, until the broccoli is fully tender.
- Stir in the cream of chicken soup. Add the condensed cream of chicken soup directly to the pot. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes until fully incorporated and the soup is smooth and slightly thickened.
- Melt in the cheese. Reduce heat to low. Add the cubed Velveeta (or shredded cheddar) a little at a time, stirring constantly until fully melted and the soup is creamy. Do not boil after adding cheese, as it can cause the soup to break.
- Taste and serve. Season with black pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately. Optional toppings: a pinch of smoked paprika, extra shredded cheddar, or crusty bread on the side.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 265 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 920mg