In October, I introduced you to a new food site called Kitchen Play when I made White Bean Bruschetta and Peach Bourbon Cocktail. Kitchen Play’s goal is to connect food bloggers with PR professionals through sponsored events. Each month, 6 new bloggers are chosen to participate in a Progressive Party, where they’re assigned one of 6 courses to make with a product from a sponsor.
(There is also a contest at Kitchen Play and any blogger can participate. Just make and blog about any of the dishes of this month’s Progressive Party and you’re entered to win one of six $100 prizes from the sponsor. See more about Kitchen Play contests here.)
I am excited to announce I was chosen to create the appetizer for December’s Progressive Party! This month is sponsored by MySpiceSage.com, a website that has an incredible spice and herb selection which also includes other cooking ingredients, such as nuts and teff flour (over 400 items altogether!). It also has great search features, where you can look spices up by taste, aroma, origin, type of food, cuisine, etc. With every order, you can select a free sample spice of your choice, and they also include seasonal spice samples for free with each order.
I was given the freedom to choose any spices from MySpiceSage.com to create any kind of appetizer. And let me tell you, it was hard to choose! I bounced around several different ideas until settling on doing soup shooters (you know how I like individualized/mini foods). Once I decided to create a soup, it was easy to pick a quintessential fall flavor: pumpkin. In order to best utilize the sponsor, I put a twist on the classic pumpkin soup and made it spicy and flavorful with cayenne pepper, curry powder and coriander powder, as well as the standard flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon.
This soup is easy to make, especially if you used canned pumpkin. It has a complex flavor thanks to all the spices used, and you can adjust the heat by adding more or less cayenne. Garnishing with chopped bacon adds some lovely texture (and great flavor) and adding a dash of cayenne just before serving really brings the heat out without masking other flavors. This is a great appetizer to start out any fall or winter dinner, including the holidays. Why not explore pumpkin in another course and do something different for dessert?
Spicy Pumpkin Soup Shooters
Serves around 8 as shooters or 4-6 as cups of soup
- 2 T olive oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 3/4 t curry powder
- 1/2 t coriander powder
- 1/4 t Ceylon cinnamon powder
- 1/4 t ground nutmeg
- 1/8 t cayenne pepper
- 1 C chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree or 2 C fresh pumpkin puree
- 1/4 C milk (I used 2% and it came out surprisingly creamy)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A few slices of cooked chopped bacon or roasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
- A few dashes of cayenne pepper for garnish
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook a few minutes until softened. Stir in spices, including salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, then add stock and pumpkin puree, mixing thoroughly. Taste soup and add additional spices, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer soup for 10 minutes. Stir in milk. If too thick, add a little stock to thin – you want it to easily come out of the shot glass. Serve in large shot glasses. Garnish with chopped bacon or roasted pumpkin seeds and a dash of cayenne pepper.
14 Comments on Kitchen Play: Spicy Pumpkin Soup Shooters
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Wendy
December 1, 2010 at 12:25 pm (14 years ago)We love these amazing Spicy Pumpkin Soup Shooters you created with ingredients from our website! Thank you!
Stephanie
December 1, 2010 at 1:54 pm (14 years ago)Thank you Wendy! I loved this challenge – it was a pleasure working with your great spices and choosing from the incredible selection!
Jennifer (Savor)
December 1, 2010 at 2:34 pm (14 years ago)I need to place my soup in little shooter cups as well! Love teaming up for a progressive party with you!
Stephanie
December 1, 2010 at 3:49 pm (14 years ago)Thanks Jennifer – love this progressive party!
Casey
December 2, 2010 at 11:04 am (14 years ago)Stephanie,
I love the idea of individualized soup shooters. They combine flavor and fun! I think these would be a hit at any holiday celebration. Thanks for playing along at Kitchen Play with your wonderful recipe for MySpiceSage.com!
Happy Holidays,
Casey
Danny
December 2, 2010 at 4:03 pm (14 years ago)Imteresting idea. Pumpkin and soup are no strangers to my kitchen, but I have never made the effort to combine them. Will give it a try soon (I hope 🙂 )
torviewtoronto
December 2, 2010 at 7:58 pm (14 years ago)delicious spices in the soup lovely presentation
Luna
December 3, 2010 at 12:25 am (14 years ago)These little pumkin shots looks amazing. Love the combination. Luna.
Pam
December 4, 2010 at 9:41 am (14 years ago)I love a good pumpkin soup, and the mix of spices you chose makes me sure that this is going to be better than good 🙂
Joanne
December 9, 2010 at 5:32 am (14 years ago)I love SpiceSage spices. I only buy my spices from them. Their cinnamon is tops!
Those shooters look so good, but where’s the booze? I thought a shooter had a shot of something…vodka? But I guess you’re keeping it on the up and up. Good for you. Maybe I’m in too much of the holiday spirits..whoops! Spirit, I mean 😉
Great recipe. Great post.
Pipes and Bowls
March 21, 2012 at 2:06 pm (13 years ago)Super-Duper website! I am loving it!! Can come back again – taking your feeds also, Thanks.
Amanda
September 15, 2012 at 6:18 pm (12 years ago)Just made these. They were phenomenal! I cooked carrots and added them with the onions and garlic. I also candied the bacon with white sugar, cinnamon, and the cayenne. Thank you so much for this great idea!