Our corn chowder with homemade broth and miso is a savory riff on a classic summer soup. With a clean and simple homemade broth and tons of vegetables, this chowder is one to revisit before the summer produce goes away at the end of the season.
I’m not gonna lie, I am fortunate enough to have like 2/3 of my trash be produce scraps. I know that can sound weird to some but hear me out. Throughout Covid quarantine, I experimented quite a bit to see how far I could extend ingredients. Mostly to stay home and not be at the grocery store as often, but also pantry staples were hard to come by.
And one of the ways I entertained myself was to make batches of veggie scrap broths. And this corn chowder with homemade broth and miso is one of the best creations from this concept.
The real heros to this recipe are the corn cobs and shitake stems. Two ingredients I usually chuck straight into the garbage. But with some trial and error I found they bring so much to the brothy table.
Corn cobs have this natural starchy sweetness that brings amazing flavor and some moisture to the pseudo mirepoix that was built on over a relatively short time.
Shitake stems, I found, are wood and not that edible compared to other mushrooms, but throwing them in broths leeches out that savory umami bomb that I am always trying to reach in recipes I choose to be animal free. But if you have other ways to use the stems let us know!
Those two ingredients I always find I’m reaching for especially when corn comes into season.
I also do the same treatment for other veggies such as:
- carrot skins
- onion skins
- celery bits and pieces
- woody herbs that are slowly dying in the crisper
- kale bits
- broccoli stems
- chili pepper ribs, for heat
- lemon or citrus halves
The list goes on and on and the options for flavor are endless as well.
I think this recipe gets extra flavor from building the broth but its not necessary. I tested this with boxed broth and its works just as well. Just be sure to season accordingly and maybe throw in some extra miso and lemon to bring it home.
I hope you enjoyed making this as much as I do. And I hope you use the “veggie scrap repurposing” for future recipes instead of the boxed broth if you have the time.
A lot of summer fun recipes to come because the possibilities of whole foods are endless. And I’m excited to show you new techniques and flavors these coming up seasons.
Corn Chowder with Homemade Broth and Miso
Ingredients
Miso Corn Broth
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 medium Shallot chopped
- 2-3 Fresno Chilis or red jalapeno deseeded and diced
- 4 Corn Cobs Reserved From corn
- Stems Reserved From 1 Cup Shitake Mushrooms
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp White Miso
- 4 Sprigs of Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 7 cups Water
- 1 Lemon juiced
Corn Chowder Assembly
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 cups Corn Reserved from Cobs
- 3/4 cup Cashews soaked
- 1 medium Shallot chopped
- 1/2 cup Celery chopped
- 1/2 cup Carrot chopped
- 1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper
- 1 cup Red Potato chopped
- 1 cup Shitake Mushrooms chopped
- 1 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp White Miso
- 1 15 oz Can of White Beans (such as gigante, great northern, navy, etc) drained and rinsed
- 2 cups Baby Kale
Instructions
To Make The Miso Corn Broth
- If you are using boxed broth, move to corn chowder assembly.In a medium soup pot, heat your 1 tbsp of olive oil and your medium shallot. Saute on medium high heat until the shallot is translucent and taking on color, 2-3 minutes. Add your 2-3 chilis, your 2 tbps miso, 4 thyme sprigs, 4 corn cobs, and shitake stems and saute until the paprika and miso become fragrant, another 3 minutes.
- Add your 7 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 30-45 minutes to develop the flavor of your broth.
- Discard and strain solids and transfer broth to a blender.
Corn Chowder Assembly
- Add 1 tbsp of olive oil back to your pot and toss in the corn. Saute until corn is chard or takes on some color. Remove corn from pot and set aside for later use.
- To your blender with the broth, add the 3/4 cup of soaked cashews, 1 cup of chard corn and juice from 1 lemon. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside for later use.
- Add your second tbsp of olive oil into your soup pot and toss in your 1 medium shallot, 1/2 cup carrot, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup red pepper, and 1 cup red potato. Saute until vegetables begin to soften. Add your 1 cup shitake mushrooms and saute for another 5 minutes.
- Add back your miso broth as well as add your 1 can of white beans and season with your 1 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika, and 2 tbsp white miso and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until vegetables are fully soft and the flavors have melded together.
- Take your chowder off the heat and toss in your 2 cups baby kale and let wilt from the residual heat. Serve up in bowls and garnish with crackers, cheese, or more corn and enjoy.
