Week 4: Chowder – Vegan “Clam”‘Chowder

Vegan Clam Chowder

Originally considered a poor man’s food, chowder is a type of soup or stew with a thickened base that is often prepared with milk or cream. The word has its origins in the Latin word “caldera,” which later came to mean cooking pot. It is also thought to come from the Old English word “jowter,” a fish peddler.

The recipe I chose for this week was Vegan “Clam” Chowder, a recipe I’d saved to a Pinterest board a long time ago.

The “clams” consisted of roughly chopped shiitake mushrooms, white wine, celery seed, and vegan butter.

First I sautéed the mushrooms in the vegan butter, and added the white wine and celery seed. Then I set aside the “clams” while I prepared the rest of the chowder. 

The soup base consisted of several vegetables: potato and onion,

celery, corn, and carrots.

I sautéed all the veggies, except the potatoes, in vegan butter and thyme. 

Then I added the vegetable broth and non-dairy milk. 

After the mixture came to a boil, I added the potatoes and “cream” sauce, which was made by blending non-dairy milk, steamed cauliflower, salt, and pepper until smooth. 

Before serving, I sprinkled the chowder with parsley flakes and freshly ground pepper. 

Now for the verdict…

Jim didn’t like it at all. His main objection was the thyme. 

I, however, thought it was pretty good. In fact,  I was pleasantly surprised at how well the cauliflower worked in producing a quite realistic “cream” sauce. If I make the recipe again, though, I’ll probably leave out the thyme entirely or just use a sprinkle instead of the amount called for in the recipe. 

Next week: Tex-Mex