Halloween is upon us, as is the cold weather. With that in mind, what better to heat up the insides than a good soup. And when you think about it, what’s more Halloween than soup, with witches and their cauldrons brewing up potions and things with herbs from the earth.
That sounds exactly like what we’re setting out to do.
So, with that in mind, let’s go on this culinary adventure together as we create a Spooky Pumpkin Soup from scratch!
You ever quarter a pumpkin before? Get excited because the moves in this one are as easy as they come.
Let’s make some soup!
What We Need For the Tailgate:
Pumpkin
6 C of Chicken Stock
1/2 C of Apple Cider Vin
6 Celery Stalks
2 Carrots
2 White Onions
3 Poblanos
2 Jalapenos
3 Hatch Chilis
2 Sprigs of Rosemary
2 Spouts of Thyme
1 Grip of Parsley
2 Bulbs of Garlic
1 Grip of Green Onions
1 T Cayenne
1 T Ground Ginger
S&P TT
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Andouille Sausage
Crema
Ciabatta
What We’re Doing with It:
Start by getting your own pre-heated to 400 degrees.
Now, let’s start by breaking down our pumpkin. Take off the top, and then quarter the pumpkin, cutting those quarters then into halves. Once you’ve done that, core out your pumpkin seeds and the other gunk. Now take your remaining parts and cut them into large chunks that you can lay evenly into a pan. Do our usual roasting move of adding in your Olive Oil, some salt, and some pepper, and this time, sprinkle on a little cayenne. Get it all mixed around so the every piece is coated, then put it in your own to roast for close to two hours.
Next, let’s take 2 each of our jalapenos, poblanos, and hatch chilis and get them coated in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and ready to roast. They won’t take nearly as long as the pumpkin, which is why we’re doing them second. Then get them into the oven as well.
While you’re waiting for everything to roast, we can go ahead and chop up the rest of the veggies that we’ll need for our pumpkin soup base. Take your two white onions and chunk them out. Then do the same for your celery and your carrots, then put them all together to the side. Now let’s get our herbs done.
Chop up your green onion, pull your fresh thyme and rosemary, and dust up some parsley, and put it to the side as well.
Now in a large pot, add some oil and set the heat to high. Then add in your onions, celery, carrots, and some garlic with a little salt and pepper and let them cook down in the oil, stirring occasionally to make sure they don’t stick.
While that’s sweating out, this is a good time to begin pulling your pumpkin seeds out of your pumpkin gunk, as we’ll be roasting those babies as well!
Now back in your large pot, add in your herbs and a little ground ginger, and stir it around. If it’s looking like the oil is about soaked up, it’s time to add in the Apple Cider Vinegar and stir everything together. Let the flavors continue to marry.
Your peppers should be finished roasting by now, so let’s pull those suckers from the oven and place them in a container to cool. In your roasted pepper pan, add back in your pulled pumpkin seeds, and put them back in the oven to roast for about 5 minutes.
At this point, your Apple Cider Vin should almost be cooked into your soup base, so add in your stock at this point and set the heat to simmer.
Pull your pumpkin seeds and put them to the side.
Your roasted pepper should have cooled enough at this point that you can begin to de-seed and de-skin them, keeping only the best of the peppers goodness. When you’ve got them all cleaned out, add them into your soup base and stir it around some more.
We’re getting close to the finish line, so go ahead and start your grill up for your sausage and remaining poblano and hatch chili, and get those babies started on the heat.
At this point, your pumpkin should be about ready to come out, so pull it and let it cool for a minute. Then, we’re going to take the meat of the pumpkin off the rind and add it to your soup base, stirring it as you go, letting all those flavors get loose with each other.
While that magic is happening, let’s head back out to the grill to finish up there. Take your slices of ciabatta and add them down to get a little char, and then baste them with a butter/oil mixture. Then flip, and baste them again. It shouldn’t take long, and then it’s probably time to pull everything off the grill. Inside, chop up your roasted peppers and your sausage and then we’ll hit finishing steps.
Back on the stove, the soup should be ready for the final move.
Now we’re going to blend this up in batches as, well, we’ve made a lot of soup. Be sure you’ve got another pot or container to take the finished product, and then start pureeing.
When you’re finished, it’s a simple plating move. Soup, then a few chunks of sausage, a sprinkling of peppers, green onions, and crema, and garnished with your grilled ciabatta, and bang, Pumpkin Soup fit for a King.
