Okay, so soup isn’t exactly an appetizer, but you can serve this earlier in the day to your guests. It will hit the spot, especially if Thanksgiving supper is after a game of family football.
The great thing about this soup is that it uses canned pumpkin. Canned pumpkin is actually healthier than regular pumpkin as the processing actually adds nutrients to it that aren’t as easily destroyed while cooking. For some reason, the same cannot be said for regular pumpkin so save yourself the time and effort and just buy the can. (You’ll very rarely hear me say that!)
The other interesting ingredient that this recipe calls for is shallots. Shallots are like a cross between onion and garlic, but more mildly flavored. If you really can’t find a shallot, many recipes will say to substitute it with an onion. I say substitute it with a sweet onion (or the most mildly flavored onion you can find) and just a smidgen of garlic. My preference is to use fresh but a little powdered garlic will work just fine. If you substitute though, your soup will have a stronger garlic/onion flavor.
You will need:
1 Tablespoon of butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
2 cups of chicken stock (make mine from chicken bouillon powder)
1 cup of applesauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 16 ounce can of pumpkin
8-12 ounces of evaporated milk
Directions:
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium pot
Add the shallots and cook them until they are soft, about 7-10 minutes. Give them an occasional stir.
After the shallots are soft, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and applesauce and cook everything for about 4 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and chicken stock, and stir everything together until it is well blended.
Bring the pot to a boil and then turn the temperature down to simmer. Simmer the soup for about 20 minutes. Make sure to stir the soup occasionally.
Pour in enough evaporated milk until the soup reaches your desired thickness.