Sunday Soup #118: Smokey Pumpkin Beer and Cheddar Potato Soup with Candied Bacon Popcorn

Happy Halloween, Booooo-per Troopers!! On the eve of my annual November social media hiatus, I wanted to give you something special... something unique... something seasonal. Love it or hate it, pumpkin is the official flavor of Fall and what many people think of as the year gets on toward Halloween and next month's food-focused holiday. Enter this "Smokey Pumpkin Beer and Cheddar Potato Soup with Candied Bacon Popcorn" (a soup with, what has to be, the longest name of any I've ever featured here). The recipe called out to me with its promise of creamy, spicy warmth. However, I have to admit to being initially wary of the featured ingredient. Those that know me know that I am not a huge fan of squash, in general, but this recipe seemed to elevate the pumpkin, so I committed to giving it a go. Let's see how it went...

This recipe came from: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/smoky-pumpkin-beer-and-cheddar-potato-soup-with-candied-bacon-popcorn/

*Pic 1 - https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/smoky-pumpkin-beer-and-cheddar-potato-soup-with-candied-bacon-popcorn/

Variations from the Recipe as Written: Not exactly a variation, since the recipe called for me to use my favorite pumpkin beer, but I used an Elysian Dark O' The Moon stout (with notes of chocolate and cinnamon) because it was the only pumpkin brew I could get my hands on. I used regular (instead of low sodium) chicken broth. And, although the recipe called for air- or stove-popped popcorn, I used a plain microwave popcorn (only lightly salted) for convenience.

General Thoughts: The prep for this one took a bit, but I actually rather enjoyed it... Dicing the onion, peeling and dicing the potato, mincing the chiles, de-stemming the thyme, and shredding the cheese all took some time but didn't seem too bad, overall, and the cooking was pretty straightforward. Prepping the popcorn garnish took a bit more time and attention. Dicing the bacon, tossing with the pepitas and sugar, roasting, popping the popcorn, tossing all of it together again, roasting, tossing a final time, and roasting again, all while making sure nothing scorched, just required a bit of focus. The garnish mixture could be prepared ahead of time, particularly if you are able to keep the popcorn from getting soggy while it waits to be used.

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

My favorite thing about this soup was all of the fun textures. The creamy pumpkin was silky smooth, the diced potatoes and onions were perfectly soft, the chopped bacon was chewy, and the popcorn and pepitas provided a very interesting pseudo-crunch. The popcorn, in particular, held up surprisingly well and did not go all soggy or "wilt" when mixed into my bowl.

And, no doubt about it, this one tasted really good! The most forward flavors were sweet and spicy, but this recipe had a lot of depth. The pumpkin and candied bacon were rich and sweet, complemented by heavy cream, and the chiles in adobo imparted a terrific spicy zing to each bite. I used two chiles in adobo, which was perfect for me, but you may want to cut back to a single chile if you are making this dish for more sensitive eaters. The rich, smokey taste imparted by the bacon, the chiles in adobo, the smoked paprika, and the smoked cheeses was terrific. And, the thyme, curry powder, and beer flavors were all subtle but still managed to shine through in each bite. In short, this soup was a symphony of flavors, all wonderfully complimentary and none overpowering the others.

I can honestly say, this is the best pumpkin-based dish I think I have ever had in my life: tasty, sophisticated, and comforting!

Potential Improvements? I can't think of any way to improve this one, and I'd make it exactly the same way next time. As a variation, though, a few matchstick-sized slivers of granny smith apple added to your bowl would provide an additional texture and flavor that could (pleasantly) add to this soup's delightful complexity.

Polling the Fam: Everyone, including me (obviously), really enjoyed this one, and I think it will be a Fall/Winter staple in our house for many years to come!

Verdict: Loved it! (5 stars)

Sunday Soup #117: Creamy Asiago Chicken and Mushroom Tortellini Soup

Chicken, mushrooms, and tortellini with cheese and cream... What's not to love, right?! I picked this recipe up from Pinterest and found an opportunity to try it a couple of weeks ago with our besties (I know, I am tardy posting... sorry!), knowing they would like all the ingredients. I have to admit, I've had mixed results with tortellini soups, in the past; some have been really good (like this one: https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2019/08/sunday-soup-84-creamy-sausage-and.html) while others have left me a feeling a little "meh". It may be because I am not a huge Italian food or pasta fan, in general (I know, I know... I am an aberration), but I keep waiting for one to just knock my socks off! Would this be the one? Let's see...

This recipe came from: https://www.closetcooking.com/creamy-asiago-chicken-and-mushroom/

*Pic 1 - https://www.closetcooking.com/creamy-asiago-chicken-and-mushroom/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I doubled the recipe. That's it!

General Thoughts: This one was pretty much a piece of cake to prep! I used pre-sliced mushrooms, pre-diced onion, minced garlic, and grated cheese. Pretty much, the only prep work that took any real time was shredding the chicken. So, we started off in good shape!

*Pics 2 & 3 - Pictures from when I made it

But then... It just kind of fizzled. I mean, it was fine, I guess, but a recipe that seemed poised for greatness turned out to be just middle-of-the-road... unremarkable... unobjectionable. I am not sure you want to listen to me figure out how many more synonyms for 'okay' I can come up with, right? I think that is why I have been dragging my feet getting this one posted; I just wasn't that excited about it.

The textures were fine (although, the tortellini may have been a bit overdone), the soup had decent color, and it was certainly creamy, but it lacked a flavor identity. Each bite was fairly indistinguishable from the last, and I didn't feel like the garlic, thyme, white wine, or dijon mustard shined through enough to give it a distinct taste. My favorite ingredient was actually the mushrooms, which were tender but lacked any strong flavor of their own.

The bottom line with this one is that it was fine. It would not offend any of your guests, and it might even be a hit with those that prefer their fare on the blander side. But, it is likely not going to make anyone sit up and take notice or be a general crowd-pleaser.

Potential Improvements? If I ever make this one again, I am definitely going to add a bit of black pepper, give it a few shakes of crushed red pepper, and double (at least!) the dijon mustard. Anything to give the soup some more depth of flavor would be welcomed!

Polling the Fam: In case it was not already obvious, I thought this one was okay but was pretty "meh" about it. Becky found it bland, overall (though she thought the thyme was stronger than she liked), and said that she wanted the tortellini to be the star but that it just wasn't. Jayson didn't really like it, said it got worse as it cooled, and said the mushrooms were too big. Andrew found it "fine, middle-of-the-road," agreed with Jayson about the mushrooms, and said it was missing "something" but that he didn't know what. Hunter said it was fine, he liked the mushrooms, and that he'd eat it again. And, surprising no one, Fox said, "It was okay."

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars)