Post Halloween Pumpkin Soup

   

            Welcome November! With the start of a new month brings the start of cold and flu season at our house- two out of four of us are sick this week- Momma being one of them. So what better way to make us all feel comfort and joy - as well as get rid of left over pumpkins- than to make up a big batch of creamy pumpkin soup! Throw in some cloud biscuits and everything is almost better- at least our stomachs are happy!

        This pumpkin soup recipe could not be easier- I roasted a whole pumpkin but canned pumpkin can also be used- just make sure to get the plain pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling! Make a double batch and freeze half for later- soup is so perfect this time of year- a great meal when combined with a side salad and a loaf of crusty bread- or biscuits!

 You will need:

2 cups cooked pumpkin
1 small onion diced
2-3 cloves garlic
2 stalks of celery- sliced
1 large or 2 small carrots- sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp Rosemary
1-2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups vegetable stock
1 can coconut milk
bacon drippings- or olive oil

To Do:

- finely chop onion, garlic, celery and carrot- saute until onions are translucent in bacon drippings- alternatively olive oil can be used as well.

- add in spices and cook for a few minutes

- add in pumpkin

- add in soup stock- mix well and simmer for about 20 minutes

-   once soup has simmered for a while - pull out Bay leaf- blend with an immersion blender until all large chunks are gone- the soup should be a creamy consistency. Add coconut milk and keep on low heat until ready to serve!

- additionally we like to top our soup with a variety of yummy goodies- bacon or diced ham add a smokey element to the soup- cooked pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top are also tasty!

           As I said this is a very easy soup to make- mot soups are- its all about layering the flavours in- when starting with the bacon drippings you start with a subtle bacon undertone and build on that with the curry and, Bay and Rosemary. If you don't have coconut milk on hand a cup of regular milk will work as well- but it won't be quiet so thick- alternatively cream tastes wonderful in this as well! It's all about paying around with the flavours- reaching into your cupboard and using whats on hand to come up with unique combinations. November is definitely soup month around here- tuck in and stay warm Friends!

The Empty Pantry

         Lets be really honest here- some days there is seemingly nothing to eat in the house- some days it is five o'clock and you still have no idea what to make for dinner- some days a trip to the grocery store with two or three crabby kids seems like the last thing on earth anyone would want to do. Still people gotta eat. It's a conundrum for sure and one I faced just last night- so I thought I would share one of our favourite quick- from scratch- soup recipes. It's whats to make when the pantry is empty!

Easy Curry Tomato Soup

vegetable oil or rendered fat*

half a small onion diced

a clove or two of garlic

1 stalk of celery diced

1 medium carrot diced

soup stock- or bullion cubes*

one large jar of canned tomatoes

1-2 cups of water

curry powder or paste

a dash of ground pepper

half a cup of cream, sour cream or yogurt

        In a soup pot heat oil or fat- I like to use bacon fat which I save in a small jar in the freezer for such events as cooking soup. So heat up the oil or fat and saute the diced vegetables- this is a basic mixture for any soup- onion, celery and carrot.  Once all the veggies are soft and the onions have gone transparent add your soup stock and canned tomatoes- add water- 1 or 2 cups depending on how watery your canned tomatoes are- allow to simmer for a few minutes before blending with an immersion hand blender- blend until the soup is smooth- add curry and pepper- remove from heat and add cream- still until combined. Serve with a nice chunky slice of bread for dipping!

     This is the perfect soup for a cold winter night when the craving of fresh veggies is strong- I will admit that last night I used our last jar of canned tomatoes and I swear I could taste the Okanagan sunshine! I also used garlic that my dad grew and carrots that our kids planted- it is so satisfying that even when the pantry appears to be empty I just need to dig around a little to find treasures from the past summer!

* rendered fat- I like to cook with left over bacon drippings- the taste is perfect for soup's like this one

* bullion cubes- Ok so while soup stock is the best ingredient to use if your pantry is truly empty you may still have bullion cubes floating around- if this is the route you are taking please be sure to add at least one cup of water per cube!

Lying Low

      Pretty much anyone I have talked to or overheard this weekend has expressed a feeling of being deflated and sad after the terrible events that happened in the States on Friday- I admit to feeling pretty helpless. To top all that off I have come down with my annual bout of laryngitis- so I also don't have a voice and just generally feel terrible. This combination of one- two punches led to us really lying low this weekend- sticking very close to home- even missing soccer and ballet.

     The upside of an unexpected weekend in was that I finally finished writing our Christmas cards- this has been riding around like a monkey on my back for a couple of weeks now. It is something I really like to do but just haven't had enough time- until today.

      To go along with all that quiet time and card writing I made up a big batch of Coconut Curry Butternut Squash soup with bacon and green beans. Sounds complicated but really is very easy and satisfying. I started off with a batch of regular Butternut squash soup and then started looking through the fridge- I want no left overs when we go away! So if you have this gross cold that is going around or are just feeling a bit blue- I suggest making some soup, cuddling up and watching a movie- it will work wonders!

The Goods:

1 small onion diced
2 large cloves of garlic sliced
2 stalks of celery diced
3 small carrots diced
3 pieces bacon diced and cooked
1 medium butternut squash baked
2 cups stock ( I used veggie)
1 can coconut milk
curry paste to taste
a handful of green beans
2 cups cooked rice

The Deal:

-set the oven to 400 degrees, slice squash in half and lay out on baking sheet- bake until squash is nice and soft- just poke at it with a knife- about a half hour

- meanwhile in a soup pot saute bacon- once bacon is cooked remove it and add in all the  diced veggies to saute- saute until onions are transparent. Add in soft, cooked butternut squash (out of the skin) and add soup stock. Blend with either an immersion blender or let cool and transfer into a regular blender. Once soup is blended add in coconut milk, curry paste, rice and green beans - let simmer for a bit,  add bacon back in-serve, enjoy and feel better!

In My Kitchen

Sweet Potato- that's  some good soup!

The Goods:

3-4 peeled and cubed sweet potatoes ( yes mom the orange ones)
1 small coarsely chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 peeled garlic cloves
5 cups veg or chicken broth
1 tbsp grated ginger root
1 tsp mild curry powder
salt & pepper to taste

The Deal:

-oil a cookie sheet or shallow pan - add cubed sweet potatoes, onion & garlic cloves- drizzle with the olive oil. Roast at 400 for about 20-30 min- depending on how hot your oven gets- just watch and check, when the potatoes are soft the veggies are ready.

- transfer roasted veggies to a soup pot and add broth, ginger, curry powder, salt & pepper. Bring to a boil

- reduce heat to medium low and simmer ,covered for about 10 min.

- at this point you can either transfer to a blender or food processor and thoroughly blend or use an immersion blender right in the pot. Puree until smooth.

- garnish with sour cream or yogurt, toast crisps or plain is good as well!

p.s. this recipe was inspired by the Looneyspoons Gals- I just switched up the spices a bit

The Stay- At- Home Chef's Chocolate Sauce!

The Goods:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
8 ounces good dark chocolate
1 tsp vanilla

The Deal:

- in a small sauce pan bring the cream and sugar to a roiling boil, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and sieve in cocoa- whisking until smooth, add chocolate and stir that until smooth. Whisk in vanilla. Pour into a jar & refrigerate. Reheat to serve. Chocolate sauce from scratch is that easy!

p.s. This recipe is from Chef Michael Smith who is actually the Chef At Home

    We had some friends over for dinner on the weekend- the weather was still fine enough to sit out on the deck- all be it wrapped in blankets but we did manage to have our dinner out there. I am a big fan of soup parties- soup, bread, cheese and some sweet treat for dessert- whats not to love! I like to think that the chocolate sauce, ice cream ,strawberries and whipped cream are balanced out by the hearty goodness of the sweet potato soup- just ignore the bread I have on the side- that never even happened!