Smoky, hearty chowders

We made vegetarian chowders creamy and hearty with pureed potatoes, smoked tempeh, and sea vegetables.

IMAGINE A CHOWDER without the cream, clams, or pork and you probably wonder what's the point. But you'll stop wondering once you taste these vegan recipes. Pureed vegetables and soymilk provide real creaminess, while tempeh and sea vegetables supply the pungent, smoky flavor. The resulting chowders contain none of the cholesterol and a fraction of the saturated fat found in traditional recipes (not to mention much less sodium).

Bacon or salt pork gives many chowders their characteristic flavor. When I removed them, the New England and Manhattan recipes cried out for something smoky. Happily, Lightlife Smoky Marinated Tempeh Strips came to the rescue. You'll find this delicious vegetarian replacement for bacon in natural food stores and many supermarkets. I diced them and mixed them into both of these chowders, where their texture reminded me of minced clams.

Sea vegetables, which also add a chewy texture, are perfect in chowders normally made with seafood. Their briny flavor makes them an excellent replacement for the taste of clams, and they provide plenty of calcium and other minerals.

Of course, while a homemade vegetable stock will always produce the best-tasting chowder, you can, in a pinch, turn to an instant powder, such as Vogue Vege Base, which is organic, low in sodium, and available in most natural food stores. You can even use plain water in the following recipes. with only a slight sacrifice in richness and depth.

The Creamiest Texture

One of the simplest ways to give soup a thick, creamy texture is to puree some or all of the vegetables, especially starchy ones like potatoes. Another way to achieve a creamy chowder is to make a roux, a cooked mixture of flour and oil.

I use both a food processor and a blender for pureeing the ingredients in the following recipes. The food processor does a better job with solid or cooked ingredients, but liquid runs out the bottom when I try to puree entire batches of soup. For pureeing liquids the blender is a better option. I work in batches to prevent overflows, and don't fill the blender jar more than two-thirds full.

Sometimes the addition of a milk alternative is essential to get the right consistency. But cooking with nondairy milks requires some minor adjustments. Soymilk curdles if brought to a boil, for instance, so it should be stirred in at the end and reheated very gently, if necessary. Coconut milk, however, can be added at the beginning, brought to a boil, and simmered without any problems. As it cooks, it thickens a bit and becomes deliciously fragrant. When using soy or coconut milk in chowder, choose the full-fat product because the low-fat versions will make thin and watery chowders. Our recipes are still significantly lower in fat than traditional recipes.

All the following soups can be made in advance, refrigerated for a day or two, and reheated.

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE SEA VEGETABLE CHOWDER

Serves 4

Blended Yukon Gold potatoes and soymilk create a creamy backdrop for the flecks of smoky tempeh, mushrooms, and roasted red peppers. Buy toasted nori (thin sheets of seaweed also called sushi nori or yakinori), and add it after cooking the chowder or it will disintegrate. We used Lightlife Marinated Smoky Tempeh Strips when testing this recipe and the following one.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces marinated smoked tempeh
strips, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 ounces white button mushrooms,
ends trimmed and Sliced thin
(about 2 cups)
1 medium onion, diced
3 cups vegetable stock or water
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1
pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch
dice
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled,
seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
(see note below)
1 cup full-fat soymilk
2 sheets toasted nori, cut into 1 by
1/4-inch strips

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 4-quart pot. Add tempeh and mushrooms and saute over medium heat until mushrooms soften and give up their liquid, about 5 minutes, adding a tablespoon of water if mixture begins to stick. Remove tempeh and mushrooms from pot and set aside.

2. Heat remaining oil in empty pot. Add onion and saute over medium heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Add stock, potatoes, and salt. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer mixture to blender in batches and puree until smooth.

3. Return pureed mixture to pot and stir in reserved mushroom-tempeh mixture and roasted red pepper. Stir in soymilk and heat gently until hot. Do not boil.

4. Remove pot from heat and stir in nori strips. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.

Note: Feel free to use purchased roasted red peppers here. Otherwise, place a whole pepper on a baking sheet and roast it under the broiler, turning often, until the skin blackens. Place the pepper in a covered bowl for 10 minutes. When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel the skin with your fingers and discard the core and seeds.