Vegan Creamy Corn Chowder

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Vegan/Gluten-Free/Nut-Free

Skill Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: If making the corn stock: 30-40 minutes

If not making the corn stock: 20-30 minutes

Cook Time: If making the corn stock: About 1 hour and 15 minutes

If not making the corn stock: About 35 minutes

Equipment Needed:

• Cutting board

• Chef's knife

• Dutch oven or stock pot

• Blender

• Rubber or silicone spatula

• Fine mesh strainer

The Recipe:

This recipe is adapted from a recipe by the Simple Veganista website

Ingredients:

For the Corn Stock (optional):

• 4 corn cobs, stripped of kernels

• 1 onion, cut into quarters

• 1 celery rib, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

• 1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

• 6 cups water

For the Chowder:

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 medium red bell pepper, diced

• 2 celery ribs, diced

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped OR 1/2 teaspoon dried ground thyme

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 2 bay leaves

• 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth OR 1 recipe corn stock (makes about 5 cups so you will have a little left over)

• 6 cups corn kernels, cut from about 7-8 ears of corn (or use 6 cups frozen or drained canned corn)

• 1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

• 2 bay leaves

• 3/4 cup raw (unsalted) cashews (see Tips section if you are not vegan and do not want to make the cashew cream)

• 3/4 cup water

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Diced avocado, for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

To make the Corn Stock (optional):

1. Add all ingredients for the corn stock to a stock pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil over high heat.

2. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cover pot for 30 minutes.

3. Strain liquid through a fine mesh strainer. Reserve the liquid (that is your corn stock), and discard the solids.

To make the Corn Chowder:

1. Make the cashew cream: Place raw cashews in a bowl and cover with cool water. Allow to soak for 2-3 hours. Drain soaked cashews, then combine with 3/4 cup fresh water in a blender. Blend until very smooth (about 1 minute), and set aside (see Tips section if you are not vegan and want to skip this step).

2. Heat a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and heat until the oil shimmers.

3. Add onion, celery, and red bell pepper; sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add garlic, thyme, and paprika and stir/cook for an additional minute.

5. Add corn, potatoes, bay leaves, and corn stock (or vegetable broth). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and place cover askew over pot. Allow mixture to simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes can easily be pierced with a fork or the tip of a sharp knife.

6. Remove bay leaves and discard. Carefully transfer about half of the soup to the blender with the cashew cream. Blend until smooth.

7. Add blended soup back into the pot with the remainder of the chunky soup, and mix together.

8. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste, and adjust seasonings to your liking.

9. Refrigerate leftovers for 4-5 days, or freeze in a sealed freezer bag or air-tight container for up to 2 months.

To Serve: Ladle chowder into bowls, and top with diced avocado if desired. Other topping options that I think would be excellent: shredded non-dairy or dairy cheese, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, chopped bacon (non-vegans only, obviously), sliced green onion or chives, or diced roasted red peppers.

I always like serving soups with some type of bread, whether that be homemade garlic bread, puff pastry cheese straws, or store-bought bread or breadsticks. There's nothing better than using a warm, toasty piece of bread to soak up the last bits of soup in your bowl on a chilly night!

Tips:

• If you are cutting your own corn kernels off the cob, I recommend using a serrated knife, and cutting them directly into a large pan for easier clean-up.

• If you are not on a vegan diet and do not want to make the cashew cream, you can substitute heavy cream, half-and-half, or milk. I would start by adding about 1/2 cup and adjust from there based on your desired consistency. I would add it in after step 7, when the blended portion of the soup has already been mixed with the non-blended portion, and let it simmer a couple of minutes before serving.

• If you are looking to add a little protein to your chowder, you could try adding cooked ground sausage or shredded chicken if you are not vegan, or cooked plant-based protein or a can of beans (such as cannellini or black beans) to keep it vegan. I would add these after step 7, and allow the protein to simmer with the soup 5-10 minutes before tasting/adjusting seasoning and serving.

• Soaking the cashews in water allows them to soften and makes for easier and smoother blending, so you won't want to skip this step if making the cashew cream.

• Although I have not personally tried it, I've read that if you've forgotten to do the 2-3 hour soak in cool water for the cashews, you can achieve a similar effect by soaking them in hot water for 30 minutes. If going this route, I think I would try pouring boiling water over them. If you try this method, please let me know how it turns out!

• The cashew cream and corn stock could be made a day or two in advance and refrigerated, to save time when you are making the chowder. I made my corn stock the night before and it was nice to already have that step done.

• You could also substitute coconut milk for the cashew cream which would keep the soup vegan and probably add some interesting flavor.

• Vegetable or chicken broth could easily be substituted for the corn stock.

• Another type of potato, such as red or Yukon gold, could be used instead of the russets if you have something different on hand. If using red potatoes, you could consider leaving the peels on (scrub them well before dicing).

• I really love the smokiness that the smoked paprika adds to this chowder; it makes it taste like there is bacon in it. But, if you don't have smoked on hand and do have regular paprika, feel free to substitute (or omit all together).

• I would recommend getting all your mise en place (prep steps) done before you start this recipe, since there is kind of a lot going on in that area. I had my potatoes peeled and diced, celery and red pepper diced, onion chopped, garlic minced, etc. before I started any cooking. This ensures that you won't be scrambling when it comes time to add the different ingredients.

• If you prefer a chunkier chowder, you could experiment with adding less than half of the chowder to the blender in step 6.

• I think there's a lot of room to play with this chowder, and really make it your own! I might try adding a bit of cumin, coriander, and a can of chopped green chilis next time to try a Southwest version :)

The Story:

There is NOTHING like late-August sweet corn in Minnesota. If ya know, ya know.

Can you spot the cob that has a secret ;)

There is a secret little gem of a spot about 20 minutes away from my house that sells sweet corn for $3.50 a dozen. Any time you go, there are a minimum of 5 other cars there (and often times, many more) because this farm's corn is DELICIOUS as well as being practically free. Totally worth the drive! I usually go 2-4 times during corn season and pick up 2-3 dozen ears at a time. If I'm lucky, my parents will drop off a few dozen ears for me as well because they know to grab me a dozen if they're going to pick some up for themselves.

While I love eating corn on the cob, we wouldn't possibly be able to finish all of that corn before it went bad. So, I spend some time sitting criss-cross-applesauce on my deck, shucking corn and then cutting all the kernels off into my big hotel pan. Then, I measure it into gallon-sized freezer bags, and label and freeze it. I usually save at least a dozen of the naked cobs and freeze those too in case I need them; which is where the idea for the corn stock in this recipe was born. I think I ended up with 30-40 cups of frozen corn kernels this year.

Pure gold

I had a few ideas of what to do with my bounty; I made a sweet corn risotto that was quite delicious. I knew I wanted to do a chowder at some point, and when I went out to the deck and saw that our beautiful bell pepper plant was ready with a couple of red peppers to pick, I knew the time was now.

There is nothing like tucking into a warm, cozy bowl of chowder that has that beautiful, summery, sweet corn flavor in the middle of a cold and blustery Minnesota night. The flavors in this chowder were just incredible; sweet, smoky, hearty, and absolutely bursting with corn flavor. This was my first dance with cashew cream, and I'm here to tell you that it lives up to the hype. This chowder was sooooo creamy, if I hadn't made it myself I would have assumed it contained a healthy amount of heavy whipping cream and maybe butter, too!

It's a little work, but this type of work soothes me :)

I hope you enjoy this creamy, vegan corn chowder as much as my family and I did!

Happy tasting!