Spicy Pumpkin Soup

Day 5 of 30 Soups in 30 Days...

This is an old family recipe that I remember eating at nearly every holiday. I think we ate it as kids only to get the toppings, and I probably ate just enough soup to hold all the popcorn, cheese, and sunflower seeds together; but now we adore this soup by itself and yes, we still eat it at nearly every holiday. The only thing I've changed is adding the chipotle; however, this soup is just as good without it.

By the way, don't cringe at the thought of popcorn in your soup until you try it...

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup diced celery
1T butter
3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, to keep this vegetarian)
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 cup canned pumpkin or fresh pumpkin, roasted and pureed
1 chipotle pepper (but this may be omitted! We actually prefer this soup without it)
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg to taste
2/3 cup half & half

ADD-INS
popped popcorn (no, seriously)
crumbled bacon
goldfish crackers
chopped scallions
sunflower seeds
chopped parsley
shredded cheddar

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Saute onion and celery in butter until limp but not browned.
• Add chicken broth, potato, pumpkin, and chipotle, if using. Bring to boil, then simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.
• Blend with an immersion blender, or regular blender (you’ll have to do it in batches in a regular blender) until smooth.
• Season soup with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Stir in half & half, and reheat just to a simmer.

**NOTE** The best part about this soup is the toppings. Place each topping in a separate bowl, and allow everyone to add his or her own.