Soup-a-Season: The Fall Embrace

For me, nothing says Autumn like soup.

Nothing.

Pinterest, on the other hand, seems to think that Autumn is about putting pumpkin spice into as many foodstuffs as possible:  Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake, Pumpkin Spice Bacon and Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Kahlua Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Triple Pumpkin Spice Nutella Swirl Quinoa Apple and Walnut Chewy Bars.

You get the point.

Every year, I’m dragged kicking and screaming from Summer into Fall. September is brutal: the weather is still gorgeous, but with all the back-to-school hoopla there is no actual time to get out and enjoy it. Halloween decorations are an AFFRONT in September.

By October, however, Autumn is settling in and becoming a comfortable place to be. Leaves are turning jewel-toned, mornings are dark and chilly, and fog blankets the lake late into the day. Suddenly, snuggling on the couch with a mug of something warm doesn’t seem like such a bad idea.

This Fall soup is the perfect blend of sweet and heat, one of my favorite combinations. It also has wonderful contrasting textures ~ smooth and creamy, chewy and crunchy. It’s absolutely the way I want to embrace the inevitability of the coming season.

And nary a speck of pumpkin in sight.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Onion Soup with Andouille, Pecan, and Kale Relish

For the soup:
3 large orange sweet potatoes, peeled and cut as described below
2 large yellow onions, cut as described below
5 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 large carrots (or 3 medium), peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice
4-6 cups chicken broth
1 T. molasses
1/2 – 1 t. cayenne (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 t. paprika
2 t. kosher salt

For the relish:
6 oz. Andouille sausage, cut into small dice (about 1 c)
1 c. washed, chopped curly kale (center stems removed)
1 c. pecan pieces, toasted
2 green onions, thinly sliced (green only)

Instructions:

First, roast the vegetables for the soup. Cut the top end off of the onions, leaving the root-end intact. Slice each onion into 8 wedges, leaving the root ends intact. Cut the sweet potato into pieces roughly the size of the onions, about 3″ or so.

Place vegetables on 2 baking sheets and drizzle 2 T. of the olive oil over them. Roast at 400 degrees for 50 -60 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are cooked through and onions show slight char. Rotate pans half-way through the cooking process, and when you do that, toss the garlic cloves onto one of the pans. (They only take 25-30 minutes or so to roast.)

Remove from oven and cut off the root ends of the onions. Heat remaining 1 T. olive oil on medium in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add carrots and sauté, stirring frequently, until they begin to get tender, about 5-8 minutes.

This Soup-a-Woman loves her DeLonghi DHB723 immersion blender. You can read more about my experience with it by clicking on the picture.

Add the roasted vegetables and garlic to the pot and cover with 4 cups of the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes.

Add molasses, cayenne, paprika, and salt to pot. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender in batches) puree soup until completely smooth, adding more broth as necessary to thin to the consistency you want. Taste for seasoning, and set aside and keep warm while you make the relish.

For the relish, heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the Andouille sausage and sauté until browned and cooked through. Add kale to pan and continue to sauté until kale is wilted, but still bright green. Remove from heat. Stir in green onions and toasted pecans. Serve immediately. (If making ahead, do not add pecans until right before serving.)

To serve, ladle soup into shallow bowls and top with a generous portion of the relish. Soup and Relish can be made ahead, and held separately, refrigerated, for 3 days. Do not add pecans to relish ahead of time, as they will lose their crunch.

Carianna Gischer shares her obsession with all things soupy through her blog, Soup-a-Woman.

Some people that live in her house accuse her of starting a blog  just so there would be an excuse to make more soup than is really necessary. However, she dismisses these people as being ridiculous and overly suspicious.