Vegetable Chowders - Recipe

Vegetarian Journal, Sept, 2000 by Nancy Berkoff

Soup, according to the dictionary, is a liquid food. According to French classical chefs, soups can be classified into three distinct categories: clear, thick, and national soups. Clear soups, such as broth, bouillon, and consomme, are based on clear, unthickened stocks. Clear soups are thought to show off the skill of the chef, as there are no "safety nets" of additional vegetables or grains to enhance appearance or flavor. A clear soup is meant to have a sparkling clarity and a full flavor (but nothing to chew on!). Thick soups are opaque rather than translucent. Creamy thick soups are thickened with roux (fat, such as margarine, and flour combined to make a paste) and milk (the vegan version can use soymilk or pureed silken tofu). Pureed thick soups are naturally thickened by pureeing ingredients, such as cooked beans or legumes, vegetables, or starches such as rice or potatoes. Thick soups also show the talent of the classic chef, as they are meant to look creamy and uniform, with no ingredients visually identifiable.

The third category of national soups, also called specialty soups or potage paysanne (soup of the people), is a catch-all term. Classic chefs, when faced with hearty, flavorful soups and thin stews, such as minestrone, gazpacho, avgolemono (Greek lemon and rice soup), vegetable tangine, Moroccan vegetable stew, French onion soup, corn and potato chowder, chili, borscht, and Brunswick Stew (a Southern-influenced, soupy stew), were at a loss to categorize them as either thick or thin, so they created a separate section for them. Far from classic, national soups show off the skill of cooks faced with the challenges of seasonal produce, tight budgets, a finite supply of cooking fuel, and the need to nourish many with the least amount of resources possible.

Chowders fit in the national soup category. Commonly understood as hearty American soups, usually containing potatoes and milk, chowders generally defy definition. Chowders are flavored with whatever is in season or whatever could be canned from last season. They vary from region to region and generally are "chunkier" than most soups.

The word "chowder" is thought to have come from the word "chaudiere," the name of a stout iron pot used by French fishermen. Chaudieres, stabilized over fires on the decks of fishing boats, kept heating continually and ingredients were tossed in as they became available. This created a ready meal source for the three- or four-day fishing expeditions. "Chaudiere" evolved into "chowder" due to the adaptation of pronunciation from French to English.

Chowders were originally meant to be one-pot meals. They were "built" in layers, with ingredients tossed into the pot according to the amount of cooking time required. Served with crackers or a hunk of bread, chowders were the main meal of the day.

Chowders generally contain white potatoes as a main ingredient. Some of the potato falls apart and adds natural thickening, while some remains intact and adds texture and mouth-feel. If using white potatoes, use a combination of waxy and non-waxy potatoes. Non-waxy potatoes, such as bakers or russets, contain more starch and do not hold their shape, so they contribute to the thickening. Waxy potatoes, with less starch, hold their shape and will add to the "chew" of the chowder. For a change of pace, use sweet potatoes or yams for the thickening agent. Some newly popular potato varieties, such as Peruvian purple and Yukon Gold, are waxy varieties, which will add color and "chew." Canned potatoes can be added at the last moment as an extra vegetable, but they do not add much flavor or thickening. Dried potato powder (such as mashed potato mix) can be added for thickening as well.

A basic traditional chowder contains a base of sauteed carrots, celery, and onions thickened with flour and cooked with potatoes and stock. After that, your imagination is the only limit. For a summer chowder, add fresh corn cut off the cob, cubed fresh zucchini and/or crookneck squash, fresh baby peas, and chopped fresh tomatoes seasoned with fresh parsley and rosemary. Remember, a chowder is meant to be a meal in itself and you won't be graded by a classical chef on the precise cuts or amounts of vegetables you use. The fuller the chowder, the better, and the chunkier the cut of vegetable, the more chowder-like it is.

For a winter chowder, use root vegetables. To your base, add diced turnips, rutabagas, parsnips, and carrots. For a pantry chowder, add canned tomatoes, canned beans, canned potatoes, canned carrots, canned mushrooms, and canned corn to your base and season with dried herbs. Go to your freezer and create a quickie chowder with the usual base plus frozen mixed vegetables, zucchini, lima or butter beans (butter beans are baby lima beans), and okra, with a little bit of tomato puree for color.

Ethnic influences can flavor your chowder as well. Add lentils and tomatoes to your basic potato chowder and season with curry or garam masala or asofetida (Indian spice mixes) for an Indian-influenced chowder. Use cooked white or fava beans, kidney beans, and fresh basil or oregano for a Mediterranean chowder. If you're feeling particularly affluent, add a little saffron, sundried tomato slivers, fresh fennel (also called sweet anise), and imported dried mushrooms for an alternate Mediterranean chowder. Black beans and green bell pepper can give a Cuban flair and chopped fresh chilies and tomatoes generate a Central American heat. For a New Orleans-influenced chowder add okra, tomatoes, and file powder (ground sassafras). For Southern-style, add corn, okra, and tomatoes. New Englanders will go for potato chowder with corn and white beans, while South-westerners may add dried chili or red pepper flakes.