Pumpkin Soup

October 31: Halloween

Halloween night is always a busy time. But we always want to have something festive to make and eat for dinner before taking the “kids” (Islander’s senior citizen parents) out for trick-or-treating a look around our neighborhood where the homes go all out with decorations.

This pumpkin soup is easy to make and, when served with buns or bread, can be a quick and simple meal to feed our little family for the fun night around the neighborhood. It is a healthy choice and not a heavy dinner to weigh us down while walking and enjoying the sights. The ingredients are full of fall flavors: apples, warming spices and, of course, pumpkin!

And inspired by the houses we see, we add an EXTRA decoration to our soup—instead of a dollop of sour “scream”, we drizzle concentric circles on top and use a toothpick to pull out a spider web design.

Serve up some spooky spiced pumpkin soup for a simple Halloween meal.

Recipe

(Adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, seeded and chopped
• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (29 ounces) pumpkin puree
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• ½ cup heavy cream
• Sour cream, optional garnish

Directions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Saute the onions and apples for around 5 minutes or until softened. Add the minced garlic and continue sauteing until fragrant. Add the bay leaf.

Pour in the pumpkin puree. Season with salt and pepper. Add the spices (nutmeg, paprika, cloves and cinnamon). Stir in the vegetable broth. 

Mix and lower heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until liquefied. Pour soup back into the pot. Stir in the heavy cream and maple syrup.

Ladle into bowls and serve hot. For the optional spider web decoration, fill a piping bag with sour cream and draw concentric circles on the soup. Use a toothpick to pull outward designs. Garnish with a toy spider (remove before eating). Store cooled soup in containers.

Notes

• Thanks to our friend Karen B. who gave us the Two Peas and Their Pod cookbook. Culinary and cake club members often referred to Islander and Karen as two peas in a pod because they played/worked so well together in their pods (kitchens).
• Heavy cream may be substituted for coconut milk in this recipe.
• If not decorating with a sour cream spider web design, sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds on the soup.
• Try another spiced pumpkin soup recipe that we made for National Pumpkin Day on October 26.
• Search our blog for more Halloween recipes.

Baked Portabella Mushrooms

With Balsamic Vinegar and Rosemary

October 15: National Mushroom Day

We had a small blessing for our first house we ever purchased in Illinois. On our invitation, we stated “no gifts, please—your presence is a present”. But our new friends did not want to show up empty-handed and brought over food to share anyway! What a blessing in more ways than one, as we came to realize they all liked to cook, too.

Then-future Methodist minister Lynnie H. made portabella mushrooms in a balsamic vinegar rosemary marinade and baked them in our house while our other guests helped us set up the table. We never had this dish before, and it was nice for our other friends to try something new. It is simple and savory and perfect for potlucks and on National Mushroom Day!

Recipe

(From Lynnie H.)

Ingredients

• 3 large portabella mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh parsley leaves, chopped (optional garnish)

Directions

Gently wash the mushrooms and dry with paper towels. Remove the stems. Scrape off the gills (see Notes). Slice half inch thick. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, rosemary, salt and pepper.

Toss the mushroom slices in the bowl and coat well. Line a lipped baking sheet with foil and mist with cooking spray. Place the marinated mushrooms on the sheet but do not overlap the slices. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn the slices on the other side and return to the oven for another 5-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a platter. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

• Portabella gills are edible but if left on, they leave darker juices. We do not mind the gills. To remove the gills, first snap off the stem. Then use a spoon to gently scrape off the gills. Learn more about how to remove the gills from the World Society for Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products.
• Search our blog for more recipes containing mushrooms as an ingredient.