B.J.C.’S Vegan Corn Chowder — With Thanks to Chef Kristi Brown
Note: OK, vegans, please don’t yell at me, but for those who consume dairy, the oat milk/creamer may be swapped out for half-and-half (preferably organic), and those definitely-other-peoplenot-us-vegans also might incorporate a little butter in with the olive oil. And Kristi Brown said this, not me: Her original, nonvegan corn chowder recipe had salmon in it, so ... — Bethany Jean Clement
6 medium ears fresh, sweet corn
2 medium carrots — 1 whole and 1 small-diced
3 ribs of celery — 2 whole and 1 small-diced (plus any celery tops)
1 medium yellow onion, 1/2 diced and the other 1/2 left alone
1/2 medium red onion, diced (reserve the other 1/2 for a salad or something)
4 fresh bay leaves or 2 dried Kosher salt
White pepper
3 tablespoons high-quality extra virgin olive oil (plus more for garnish)
2 tablespoons flour
1 large potato, peeled and 1/4 -inch diced (about 1 1/4 cup)
1 small-to-medium sweet potato (orange or white, up to you), peeled and 1/4 inch diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup unsweetened oat-milk creamer or oat milk
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Dash of cayenne
Chives, snipped, and/or green onion, finely sliced on the diagonal, plus more olive oil for garnish
Directions: Shuck it! Then stand each ear of corn on its butt end on a tray or in the bottom of a large shallow bowl, and use a sharp knife to carefully cut the kernels off, reserving the cobs (and, of course, the kernels). Warning: If your corn is nice and fresh, this will be messy. (Optional: Some recipes say to “milk the corn,” which involves running the back of a knife down the denuded cobs to get all the juices out. It’s my sense that we’ll extract those precious corn-fluids by making the stock next, and I’m also just going to say that life feels too short to spend time milking corn.)
Break corn cobs in half and put them in a 3 1/2- or 4-quart pot, along with 1 whole carrot broken in half, 2 ribs celery broken to fit the pot (plus any celery tops), the 1/2 yellow onion, 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried, 1 teaspoon salt and a sprinkle of white pepper. Add water to almost cover, about 4 to 6 cups. (The pot will be crowded,) Bring to a boil, give it a stir and then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Remove from heat, and let rest.
Heat the olive oil for a minute or two in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the diced yellow and red onions, diced carrot and diced celery. Salt and white pepper them, stir and cook about 6-8 minutes, stirring again about every 2 minutes. Sprinkle on flour and cook, stirring, another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Carefully strain stock through a colander into a large bowl.
Add the potato, sweet potato, 1 teaspoon salt, a sprinkle of white pepper, and 2 fresh bay leaves or 1 dried to your vegetables in the large pot, then add enough strained stock to cover it all. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, stir and continue cooking until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, stirring maybe every 5 minutes.
Add the oat milk/creamer, corn and spices, then stir and season lightly with salt and pepper. Add a little more stock
or water if it seems very thick, though the corn will release a fair amount of liquid, so don’t panic. Turn up heat to bring back to bubbling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add more salt and white pepper to taste — you probably want to add a teaspoon or more of salt, a little at a time, to balance the sweetness of the corn, sweet potato and onions. Don’t be shy!
Simmer another 15 minutes to half an hour, stirring occasionally. At this point, the chowder should be thickened and ready to serve; cooking more or reheating later will thicken matters further, amalgamating the vegetables and breaking down the corn, which is also good.
Garnish with chives or green onion plus a swirl of high-quality olive oil, and enjoy. Also good served cold during summer heat.
Serves 6 as a soup course, maybe 4 for a lunch or light supper.