There is something about a creamy and spicy soup that just warms your tummy and your soul. It is still bitter cold here in Buffalo and I am trying to look on the bright side of this brutal winter, by enjoying that I can still cook hearty and hot, wintry dinners. I know soon when the warm weather is upon us, I will miss the hot soups and stews, one of my favorite things about the winter months.

This soup brings a nice kick of smokey spice from the chipotles, it’s comforting, thick and creamy, three things that just really make winter dinner satisfying, to me. The great thing about this soup and the fact that most of the creaminess comes from blending the potatoes, is that it can easily be made vegan. Go with vegetable stock over chicken and you can either skip the milk altogether or use a non-dairy milk like plain unsweetened almond, rice or soy milk. Then just skip the cheese or top with your favorite vegan cheese. I used local, pasture-raised whole milk that we bought at Farmers and Artisans, one of the few milks I have ever tasted that is actually good enough to enjoy a glass of (in my opinion). There is only a cup of milk and a cup of cheese in the entire pot of soup, so don’t even feel the littlest bit guilty about it. On the other hand, if you have no guilt and really want to indulge, you could go with a cup of heavy cream instead of milk and maybe even some crispy bacon on top, why not right? Either way, before the warm weather shows itself again, you need to make a pot of this soup and not only remember, but enjoy the lovely things about the winter that we will all surely miss in the heat of July or August. Trust me, we all miss it, even just a little.

Chipotle Potato Soup with Bell Pepper Salsa
serves 8

Bell Pepper Salsa

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped red onion
Juice from 1 lime
Kosher salt , to taste

In small bowl, mix together bell peppers, cilantro and onion. Squeeze lime over. Gently stir to combine. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.

Chipotle Potato Soup

2  1/2 – 3 lbs red potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (this soup is spicy, go with less chipotles if you don’t want all the heat, you can always add in more)
6 cups low-sodium vegetable stock or chicken stock
1 cup organic whole milk (you can either skip the milk and add an extra cup of stock or use a non-dairy milk and skip the cheese, to make this soup vegan)
1 teaspoon ground chili powder
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese, plus additional for garnish
kosher salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

In a large pan of salted water over high-heat, bring the potatoes to a boil and then drop the heat to simmer and cook for approximately 20 minutes, until potatoes are soft. Drain.

In a large stock pot, over high heat, sauté onion, bell peppers and garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes, add the chipotle chiles and the chili powder. Lower heat to medium; continue cooking until the onions are soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes, stock and milk (if you are using it) to the stock pot. Bring to gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let the soup cool about 5 minutes.

Purée with immersion blender or in batches using a regular blender*, until smooth, gradually adding cheese. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper. Ladle the soup in large serving bowls and top with shredded cheese and the bell pepper salsa.

* When blending hot soup in a blender, do so in small batches, filling the blender pitcher only about halfway. Put the lid on, but remove that small cap in the lid (if you have it) and hold the lid down tight with a towel, otherwise the steam will cause the lid to explode off, spewing hot liquid everywhere. This has never happened to me, but it can, so be careful.