A question about a recipe: Anya von Bremzen's Potato Soup with Fried Almonds

When pork is wanted for soup or chowder, I always find a combo of butter, grey salt, smoked paprika, and a touch of sesame oil to be a nice substitution. Cook the onion/aromatics in it. Don't over do the sesame oil – 1/2 a teaspoon is usually sufficient. I like the idea of adding some finely sliced and chopped carrot as well, if the recipe is not one that includes them already – texture and sweetness!

Dried shiitake mushrooms, chopped into small pieces (available at Asian grocery stores) would have a similar texture and a nice deep flavor.

You can just skip the ham, or you could substitute diced carrots. They add a similar sweetness to that of the ham.

I've been eying this recipe, thinking I'd drop the meat, add a bit of smoked paprika for the flavor analog, or even some chipotle powder to take it in the heat + smoke direction.

I think you can skip the ham, especially if you use a flavorful (preferably homemade) vegetable stock). Chopped olives (green or oil-cured black) could be good, for salt and meaty flavor, but they'd also affect the look of the soup.

You could try using a "meaty" seitan product or another vegan "meat" substitute. Or saute cubes of smokey tofu and add it into the soup just before serving