Get yourself a Cauldron

This soup makes a very large batch – be prepared to share with friends! Or be prepared to have hella-leftovers. My mother used to make a similar soup as an appetizer for Thanksgiving – all those perfect fall flavors in a bowl without spoiling your dinner! This year, I hosted a Halloween-themed tea party with some girlfriends & made this soup – it was perfect for an afternoon tea & I actually made it the day before and just let it slowly simmer on Low for about half an hour before the party – easy & foolproof, Yee YEEEE!

Our absolute favorite way to pair this soup is with a glass of bourbon-barrel aged red wine (chefs kiss) AND a gruyere & brown-sugar ham grilled cheese – the slightly-salty gruyere doesn’t compete with the richness of the soup & the ham is just happy to be included. The heavy red wine brings out the spiciness of the curry & the sweetness of the peanut butter. You literally can’t go wrong.

This soup can be vegetarian-friendly as well! Swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth – I highly doubt anyone would taste the difference. I personally enjoy some meat-free dishes from time-to-time so this soup is usually a good week-night meal to make if I don’t want to feel like I’m slaving over a meal or just something that Chris can easily pair with a cheese panini or rotisserie chicken sandwich.

Instructions

Measure out all your ingredients, open your cans & have everything set aside & ready!

Dice your apple, pear & vidalia onion – set aside.

In a large, heavy pot – melt your butter on medium heat. Then add in your diced fruit & onion – stir around until everything becomes soft & translucent – about 5 minutes.

Now is a good time to add in ALL your spices to incorporate into the base of your soup – you can always taste & build your flavors!

Slowly add in your 3 TSP of flour and stir around to make a roux and heat thru – about 2 minutes.

Next pour in your chicken broth and 1 cup of water, whisk it well, allowing the chicken broth to thicken with your flour, it should slightly begin to bubble – about 3 minutes.

Now add in the can of pumpkin puree and stir well to incorporate and smooth out with the chicken broth – about 5 minutes.

***Your diced apple, pear & onion should be very soft- but obviously still chunky. Not a problem – we will use an immersion blender later to completely smooth everything out OR you can always leave this soup rustic and leave them whole for texture. I have made, eaten & enjoyed this soup both ways – so totally a personal preference***

Next, give it a taste – if you feel the need to add in more spices, do so and stir well. Your Pumpkin & Chicken Broth should be thick and slightly lumpy – don’t worry. We’re getting there. Allow this to simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

What makes a Witches Brew “secret” ?

The immersion blender is very user-friendly. Mine simply plugs in, I hold a safety button & then I can blend with ease. This tool is especially great for soup to truly give everything that smooth texture & silky mouthfeel that we all crave with soup.

After you have stirred the immersion blender around and feel that your soup’s texture is smooth enough to your liking, turn your heat down to Low.

Finally, pour in your can of evaporated milk and whisk in to combine with your soup.

It will give off a slightly sweet aroma, but it shouldn’t change the overall taste of the soup that you have painstakingly created. Evaporated Milk is a secret ingredient my mother has used in soups for YEEEARS. It has always been second-nature to me to want to dump a can of evaporated milk into almost every single soup I ever make. The consistency is other-worldly. I don’t want to get weird, but I have a thing for super smooth, velvety soup.

Now is the time to put your damn feet up & have a well-deserved drink. Lord knows you have earned it. Your tummy may rumble in anticipation, but your nose will thank you every step of the way.

Set a timer for every 10 minutes to go & give your soup a giant stir – hell, give it another lil taste too along the way! The simmering truly brings out the flavors of EVERY layer in this soup – the peanut butter becomes nuttier & warmer, the curry becomes smokier, the evaporated milk becomes creamier, the sage gives an earthy underline, & the pumpkin becomes sweeter. As long as your soup is on a low heat, you will also notice how all the spices develop into a deeper taste – also important for tasting. This hour-long simmering process is also SUPER important to give you (& the soup) time to notice how thick it becomes – the pumpkin puree is naturally thick, the peanut butter is naturally thick, the roux you made at the beginning helps keep everything thick….this reserved 1/2 cup of water may come in handy. Again, same thought process for the spices, you can always add more water but you can’t take it out. If you want your soup to be more liquidy, use that last ½ cup of water to thin it out a bit more. If you like a hearty, thick soup then use less water. Make sense?

I cannot stress the importance of actually being patient and letting this soup simmer on LOWWW for a good hour. It will indescribably change the texture & allow the flavors to all truly shine – as I always say, it will totally be worth it.