In honor of Halloween, I thought I would post something made of pumpkin!  Serve this with homemade croutons tossed in butter, cinnamon and sugar.

Ingredients:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Pinch ground cayenne pepper (optional)
3 (15 oz) cans 100 percent pumpkin or 6 cups of chopped roasted pumpkin*
5 cups of chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option)
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

*To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, lie face down on a tin-foil lined baking pan.  Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour.  Cool, scoop out the flesh.  Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use.

Directions:

Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.  Add spices and stir for a minute more.

Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth; blend well.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer soup, in batches, to a blender or food processor.  Cover tightly and blend until smooth.  Return soup to saucepan.

With the soup on low heat, add brown sugar and mix.  Slowly add milk while stirring to incorporate.  Add cream.  Adjust seasonings to taste.  If a little too spicy, add more cream to cool it down.  You might want to add a teaspoon of salt.

Serve in individual bowls.  Sprinkle the top of each with toasted pumpkin seeds.

This Chorizo Chicken Tortilla Soup really is more like a chili.  It’s thick and hearty and full of complex flavors.  Perfect on a cold fall day or to feed a crowd during the big game.  Make a double batch because you are sure to want some leftovers of this one!

Ingredients:
1 pound chorizo sausage
3/4 pound chicken tenders
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
6 small red potatoes, diced
1 (15-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, drained
2 chipolte peppers in adobo sauce
1 quart chicken stock
1 bag blue corn tortilla chips
2 cups shredded pepper jack or smoked Cheddar
Suggested garnishes: chopped scallions, sour cream, avocados

Directions:
Preheat medium soup pot over medium-high heat.

Dice chorizo and chicken into bite size pieces. Add extra-virgin olive oil and chicken to pot. Lightly brown chicken 2 minutes, then add the chorizo and garlic. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, then add peppers, onions and potatoes. Cook 5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes, kidney beans, and hot sauce. Add chicken stock and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender 10 to 12 minutes.

Ladle soup into shallow bowls and top each bowl with a generous handful of crushed tortillas and cheese. Garnish with scallions, avocados and sour cream.

I’m feeling a little bit under the weather today and I’ve been thinking about what to make for dinner that would make me feel better and warm my bones.  And I’m sure you can guess what I have what recipe I have decided to make; that’s right ~ Chicken and Rice Soup ~ and maybe a chocolate pie… but we’ll decide on that later…

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium carrots, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 celery ribs, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
1 cup of white wine
1 cup long grain white rice
2 large chicken breast, bones in and skin on
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread for dipping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degees.  Place your chicken breasts on a roasting pan.  Cover with olive oil.  Salt and Pepper.

Roast for 35-45 minutes or until juices run clear and the skin is a nice golden brown.  Let come to room temperature. Remove from the bone.  Shred or dice chicken into bite size pieces.

Mean while, place a soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme and bay leaf. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned. Pour in the chicken broth and wine- bring the liquid to a boil.

Add in the rice and chicken; season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low until the rice is tender-about 30 minutes.  Serve hot with crusty bread for dipping.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Cook onions in a 12″ nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring constantly, until soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add butter and toss onions to coat. Remove pan from heat and stir in Calvados. Return pan to heat and continue cooking until Calvados is absorbed, about 30 seconds. Add stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until soup is reduced to 4 cups, about 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

 Now that it’s fall my annual quest for new and exciting soups is on!  I saw this recipe in the November issue of Food and Wine and thought that I would give it a try this weekend served with some homemade croutons.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of thick sliced bacon
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 large jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp chopped thyme
One 12 ounce bottle of lager or pilsner
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb sharp yellow cheddar cheese, coursely shredded
4 ounces smoked cheddar cheese, coursely shredded
salt and pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, cook the bacon over moderate heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crisp. 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfe the bacon to a bowl. Add the celery, onion, jalapeno, garlic and thyme to the saucepan and cook over moderate heat until softened. 8 minutes. Add half of the beer an cook until reduced by half. 5 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth and bring to a simmer.

In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, stirring until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk this roux into the soup until incorporated and bring to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes. Add the heavy cream, cheddar cheeses and remaining beer and simmer, stirring occasionaly, until thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in the bacon and season with salt and pepper. Add a few tbsp of broth if the soup is too thick.

Ingredients

3 cups water
2 cups dried red kidney beans
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 (14-ounce) package turkey, pork, and beef smoked sausage, thinly sliced (such as Healthy Choice)
1 bay leaf
5 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Preparation

Combine first 12 ingredients in an electric slow cooker. Cover with lid; cook on high heat for 5 hours. Discard bay leaf; stir in salt. Serve over rice; sprinkle servings evenly with green onions.