Smoky Vegetarian Corn Chowder // S1E12 Fire
“You can’t fight fire with fire”.
For this episode, we’ve decided to create a dish that invokes a Boston hotel that has been set on fire. We hope that Agent Mulder could enjoy this smoky vegetarian corn chowder and reminisce about the time he bravely overcame his paralyzing fear of fire, that we only ever hear about in this episode.
The most implausible part of this episode is not the pyrokinesis but rather the complete lack of sparks between Mulder and his former girlfriend, Phoebe Green. At least it’s Mulder’s turn to have a terrible ex show up with a mystery to solve. It’s great that Mulder and Scully’s exes are so concerned with the advancement of their careers. Another major issue with this episode is how it pits Scully and Phoebe against each other, for no real reason.
But the fire stuff is pretty fun! And, this episode is also notable for being an early acting credit for Mark Sheppard, aka Badger, aka Canton Everett Delaware III, aka Crowley. He’s completely plausible as a creepy stalker who sets men on fire to get what he wants.
Final thoughts: It feels like the episode is trying to do something(?) with Cecil L’Ively’s origins, but it isn’t ever clear what. There’s the throwaway clue that the first record of Cecil L’Ively was of a child who was killed in a ritual sacrifice by Satanists in the 1960s, but the Satanic Panic angle doesn’t really go anywhere. And his name seems like it’s supposed to be some sort of stereotypical Irish leprechaun or fey reference, but we don’t get anything from that either.
The Recipe File|
You can use regular frozen corn instead of the fire-roasted variety, but we really wanted to lean in to the fire theme of this episode, and fire-roasted corn really does the trick. We’ve found frozen fire-roasted corn at both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
Scrub or peel potatoes, dice and set aside. Mince the garlic. Dice the poblano peppers and onion. Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Stir in the garlic, peppers and onion, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to brown (6-8 minutes).
Add flour to the cooked vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the Old Bay seasoning, milk and vegetable broth (we used Edward & Sons® Not-Chick’n™ Bouillon, but any vegetable broth would work). Add the potatoes. Cover, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
Use the potato masher to mash the potatoes slightly. Add the fire roasted corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the corn is heated through. Stir in the shredded pepper jack cheese and cream cheese. Cook just until the cheese has melted and integrated. Stir in the liquid smoke, if using, and season with salt, to taste. Serve with bread or crackers.
Smoky Vegetarian Corn Chowder Recipe
Smoky Vegan Corn Chowder
Equipment
- potato masher
- large pot with lid
- blender
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs Yukon potatoes about 5 medium sized potatoes
- 6 garlic cloves
- 3 poblano peppers
- 1 onion
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1½ C soy milk
- 1/3 C coconut milk
- 2 C vegetable broth we used Edward & Sons® Not-Chick'n™ Bouillon
- 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 2 C fire roasted corn
- 16 oz silken tofu
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 3 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 tsp ground mustard powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 – 4 drops liquid smoke optional
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Scrub or peel potatoes, dice and set aside.
- Mince the garlic. Dice the poblano peppers and onion.
- Melt the vegan butter over medium heat in a large pot. Stir in the garlic, peppers and onion, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables just start to brown (6-8 minutes).
- Add flour to the cooked vegetables and stir to coat. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the soy milk, coconut milk, vegetable broth and Old Bay.
- Add the potatoes. Cover, and simmer over low heat for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are tender enough to be pierced with a fork.
- While the potatoes cook, prepare the cheesy sauce. Combine silken tofu, nutritional yeast, white miso paste, mustard powder and turmeric in a blender. Blend until well combined. Set aside.
- When the potatoes are done, use the potato masher to lightly mash them. Add the fire roasted corn and cook for an additional 5 minutes, until the corn is heated through.
- Pour in the cheesy sauce and stir to combine. Cook for at least 5 minutes. Taste, and then season with salt and pepper. Add a few drops of liquid smoke, if using.
- Serve with vegan bread or crackers.
