Pumpkin Soup with Cran-Apple Relish (Vegetarian)

I realize it's no longer the fall, but I really wanted some pumpkin soup this week.  And this is one of my favorites, in addition to the new pumpkin shrimp bisque I discovered last year.  It's very simple, and the garnish is awesome.  I'm pretty sure it would go well on other things too, but haven't figured out what just yet.  For a touch of class, drizzle some honey over the top - people will think you went to culinary school, even when you just took a bunch of things out of cans and stirred them together (I'm pretty sure this is what some pros do anyway).

Pumpkin soup!

Pumpkin Soup with Cran-Apple Relish

based on a Rachael Ray recipe

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 fresh bay leaf, or 2 dried
• 2 ribs celery with greens, finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce (I used Frank's, or you could use Tabasco), or to taste
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 (28-ounce) can cooked pumpkin puree
• 2 cups heavy cream (I use 1 cup heavy cream and 1 cup half-and-half)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Relish:

• 1 crisp apple, such as McIntosh or Granny Smith, finely chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries, chopped
• 1 teaspoon chili (or chile) powder
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Most of the ingredients, after starting the onion and celery.  This all comes together quickly.

Heat a medium soup pot over medium to medium high heat. Add the oil and melt the butter. Add bay, celery, and onion. Season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Cook 6 or 7 minutes, until tender. Add flour, thyme and hot sauce, to taste, then cook flour a minute. Whisk in stock and bring liquid to a bubble. Whisk in pumpkin in large spoonfuls to incorporate it into the broth. Simmer soup 10 minutes to thicken a bit then add in cream and nutmeg. Reduce heat to low.

Stir in the flour after cooking the vegetables, and you end up with something like a roux - this will thicken the soup

While soup cooks, assemble the relish: combine apple, onion, lemon juice, cranberries, chili powder, honey and cinnamon.  I used the same chile powder that I use in my beef chili - a mix of dried peppers without the other ingredients found in chili powder.  Didn't seem to make a huge difference, so use whatever you've got.  I used a low quality chili powder from a can once and it actually did ruin this, so be sure to use something decent, and don't go overboard.

This garnish is arguably the best part of the soup

Remove bay leaves from soup and pulse with a stick blender to puree the sauteed vegetables.  Adjust seasonings in soup and relish and serve soup in shallow bowls with a few spoonfuls of relish and a drizzle of honey.