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 #92: Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Pork Stew

Have you ever just gotten into a mood for a particular something... You know, when your stomach radios up to the brain and says, "Hey dummy, it's very Fall-like today, so we need a Fall soup to make it feel right." Don't judge me! LOL

Suffice to say, I was looking for another soup that screamed "Fall!" and stumbled across this Slow Cooker Fall Harvest Pork Stew recipe that looked interesting. I am not usually a fan of squash (a combo of taste and texture issues), but this one just seemed too interesting to pass up. Let's see how it went...

This recipe came from: https://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-fall-harvest-pork-stew/

*Pic 1 - https://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-fall-harvest-pork-stew/

Variations from Recipe as Written: I added an extra tsp of chipotle powder (because we like things spicy) and a tsp of smoked salt (because we like things smokey, and I thought a little more salt would help balance the sweetness of the apples/squash). That's it!

General Thoughts: Anytime a soup is bound for the slow cooker (aka, the Crock-Pot), it is probably going to be pretty easy to make. The prep for this one was, indeed, fairly simple, primarily because I used pre-diced carrots, pre-cut squash, pre-diced onion, and pre-cubed pork. The only prep that took me any real time was peeling and dicing the apples. This soup was also fairly economical to make, as all of the ingredients are fairly common and easy to obtain at your local supermarket.

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

The taste of this one was decent if a little bland for me. It was hearty, warm, and very Fall-like, so it fit the bill there. But, as the recipe stated, it was a little sweet (where I much prefer savory). The taste of the apples, squash, and carrots was pretty well-balanced with the pork, with none of the tastes overpowering the others. The broth was my favorite part, and it was what most reminded me of Fall; I could taste the apples, squash, and herbs in each bite. The pork was tender enough (I slow cooked it for eight hours) but not-yet falling apart. I think I would have preferred it to be even more tender, closer to a pork roast before it is shredded so that the pork almost melted in my mouth. Finally, I wish I could say this soup made me a squash lover but, sadly, squash remains my nemesis, as I had trouble getting past its texture in this recipe as well.

Potential Improvements? I'd, personally, swap the squash out for potatoes, but if squash is your jam, drive on! I'd love to see how this one tastes with a shot or two of apple cider vinegar to further cut the sweetness. And, I think I'd make it even a little saltier, possibly by way of marinating the pork in a complimentary savory mixture (maybe something like this one, from Ina Garten: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe-1948375).

Polling the Fam: All in all, this was a decent Fall selection, and I'd make it again (trying some of my above potential improvements) if the mood struck me. Becky, who digs squash, really liked this one and wanted to go back for seconds (which is why I gave it 4 stars instead of the 3 it was destined for if I'd eaten it alone). Fox really didn't care for it, but that is not a surprise given its ingredients.

Verdict: Liked it. (4 stars)

Sunday Soup #69: Pumpkin and Chorizo Soup with Cilantro

This is the second soup of the weekend that my sister Rachel and I chose to make while I was visiting her (see Sunday Soup #68 at https://soupersleuth.blogspot.com/2018/09/sunday-soup-68-chicken-chimichurri-soup.html for the weekend's first entry). I suppose I could have called this one "Sunday Soup #68a," but it is my blog, and I didn't want to, so I didn't! *sticks tongue out* Instead, we were looking for something interesting and unique for #69, and this one fit the bill! Let's take a look...

This recipe came from: https://www.closetcooking.com/pumpkin-and-chorizo-soup-with-cilantro/

*Pic 1 - https://www.closetcooking.com/pumpkin-and-chorizo-soup-with-cilantro/

Variations from Recipe as Written: We only made two changes to this one, but they were both pretty major. First, we could not find any Spanish chorizo (which is the firm, sausage-like chorizo, not the meltable, liquidy Mexican chorizo) at the local grocery store. So, instead we used raw linguiça sausage and added 1 tsp paprika and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar to give it a more Spanish chorizo-like flavor. Second, we belatedly figured out that we forgot to get potatoes, so Rachel roasted and chopped about 2 cups of cauliflower as a substitute.

General Thoughts: This soup had a much shorter ingredient list than the other soup we made this weekend. A little chop and sauté on the onions and garlic, and the extra work to facilitate the use of roasted cauliflower rather than potatoes, and that was about it for the prep. Pretty simple...

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

One of the first things I noticed about this one was that is was considerably chunkier and appeared much thicker than the picture with the recipe, almost more stew-like. But, that did not necessarily bother me, as I have had some great tagine dishes that had a similar look and turned out to taste delicious. Each bite did have a substantial mouth-feel, but I was not thrilled with the texture, which was heavily influenced by the presence of the cauliflower. However, I think that would be moot with a switch backed to potatoes instead.

The taste was decent, presenting as fairly sweet at first bite. It seemed to get less and less sweet as I got deeper into my bowl, but that might have just been desensitization. Spoonfuls that contained chorizo (aka, our doctored linguiça) were savory and delicious, providing a bit of a bite, which was sorely needed. Overall, this recipe was a little bland and needed either some additional spiciness and/or something to provide a contrasting taste profile. The next day, Rachel ate some leftover, and poured some Thai panang curry in the bowl before heating it up; she said the result was a much more interesting flavor overall.

Potential Improvements? This one had a bunch of potential if we make a few tweaks... First, I'd swap the cauliflower out for the potatoes (sorry, Sis!), which should fix my texture issue and improve the taste, in my opinion. Second, it definitely needed some more spice. I think chopping a red Thai chile or two into the mix would help, as well as adding some acidity (with some lemon juice or apple cider vinegar) to help cut the sweetness would be a plus. Third, using actual Spanish chorizo would be desirable. Finally, Rachel suggested that using coconut milk instead of heavy cream would serve to make it both more interesting to the palate and a little thinner.

Polling the Fam: I might make this one again, because it was interesting and solid overall, but I would definitely want to make the changes suggested above. Rachel thought it wasn't as pumpkin-y as she thought it would be, but said that it verged on bland. She thought it definitely needed more spice and flavor before it could be considered really good, offering that she thought it'd be a good Fall soup. Joe said it was good overall, but a little bland, and thought it needed more spice to offset the sweet. And, my 8-year old nephew said he thought it was sweet and good overall.

Verdict: It was okay. (3 stars) (*but could a 4-star dish next time with some improvements)

Guest Sunday Soup: Mexican Meatball Soup with Butternut Squash and Cilantro

Hi there, Souper Troopers...! I am very pleased to add an entry this week from my good friend, Nicole Perry, who tried a yummy new soup from Sun Basket (https://www.sunbasket.com/), a company specializing in delivering healthy, organic, paleo, and gluten-free foods and recipes to your home.

Name: Mexican Meatball Soup with Butternut Squash and Cilantro

Original Recipe From: A Sun Basket delivery received by Nicole

*Pics 1 & 2 - Provided by Nicole

Any Changes?: As I said when I've posted guest recipes from Nicole previously, she is a good cook and took some chances here that turned out well... Nicole said she used 2 tbsp of tomato paste, 2 cans of diced tomatoes, 2 cups of chicken stock (because it did not seem like there would be enough broth otherwise), and 9 ounces of butternut squash. In addition, she liberally seasoned the meatballs with taco seasoning, was generous with the lime, and added avocado slices on top of the cabbage.

*Pic 3 - Picture from when Nicole made it

So, Was It Any Good?: Nicole reported it was VERY good! She mentioned that the squash absorbed the tomato paste, lime (from the cabbage), and taco seasoning (from the meat) to produce a wonderful taste fusion. In her own words: "The crunchiness of the cabbage, the juices from the meatballs and the nice burst of lime = Grand Slam! And the leftovers are stellar!!!!!!!!"

Verdict: Sounds like, it's a keeper!

Thanks, Nicole, for sharing a great recipe!