Monday, December 5, 2011

Corn chowder and portobello sandwiches

Vegan attempt No. 3. Rebecca sent me this recipe for corn chowder:1 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 small red potatoes, cubed
2 cups corn
4 cups vegetable broth (it's worth noting that I was in a huge hurry when shopping for this recipe, couldn't find vegetable broth and said to heck with it, I'll use chicken. Kind of defeats the purpose and made me laugh :))
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cups almond milk
1 TB flour
3 TB water

In a large saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic. Add potatoes, corn, broth, thyme and almond milk. Simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender (mine took more like 30). In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water together. Add to the soup and simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with dill.

This soup reminds me of my favorite baked potato soup. It also made me remember that I had to make that soup about four times before I got the consistency and spices just right. The chowder wasn't as thick as I would have liked (I ended up whisking several tablespoons cornstarch with water to thicken it up a bit) and didn't have as much seasoning as I would have liked. I'd use about a cup or half cup less broth and double or triple the flour next time, and I would definitely add more spices. The soup is very filling - love the corn - and it was perfect for a cold evening. Like most soups, the flavors had married and gotten better on the second day.

Now for the sandwiches ... we bought a loaf of tomato basil bread at Panera and toasted. I spread my mom's homemade pesto on the bread and added a giant portobello mushroom that had been sauted in a little olive oil for about 3-5 minutes on each side - until tender. I sliced some red onion and topped with fresh spinach. These sandwiches were to die for.

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