SOUTHWESTERN CORN & CHEESE CHOWDER

      Title: SOUTHWESTERN CORN & CHEESE CHOWDER
  Categories: Soups
       Yield: 11 Servings
  
       2 lg Sweet potatoes peeled and
            Cut into 1/2" cubes
       6 c  Chicken broth, homemade
       1    Mexican bottle beer (12 oz)
       2 ts Ground cumin
       1 ea Bay leaf
     1/4 lb Thick-sliced bacon
       1 lg Onion, chopped
       2 cl Garlic, minced
       1 cn Creamed corn (16oz)
       1 cn Diced green chiles (4oz)
       2 ts Chili powder
            Cayenne pepper to taste
       2 c  Milk
     1/2 c  Heavy or whipping cream
       1 lb Monterey jack cheese
     1/2 c  Chopped fresh cilantro
  
   Place the sweet potatoes, 3 cups of chicken broth, the beer, cumin,
   and bay leaf in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then simmer
   until the potatoes are crisp-tender, 12-15 minutes. Discard the bay
   leaf.
   
   Meanwhile, cook the bacon until crisp in a large stockpot. Remove the
   bacon and drain on paper towels; when it is cool, chop or crumble it.
   Add the onion and garlic to the fat remaining in the pot; saute over
   medium-high heat until quite soft, about 10 minutes. Add the sweet
   potatoes with the cooking liquid to the onion and stir in the
   remaining 3 cups broth as well.
   
   Add the creamed corn and green chiles to the soup and season with the
   chili powder and cayenne.  Gradually stir in the milk and cream.
   Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
   
   Shred 12 ounces of the cheese and cut the remaining 4 ounces into
   small dice.  Reduce the heat under the soup to low and add the
   shredded cheese, stirring just until melted. Season the soup with
   salt and stir in the cilantro.  Ladle into bowls, stirring a
   tablespoon of diced cheese into each.
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