Pumpkin Chorizo Soup

***REPOSTED FROM CRAFT BEER***

By Jennifer O'Connell

Ladies of Craft Beer (through Craft Beer)

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Difficulty: Easy

Time: 20 minutes

Beer Style: Pumpkin Beers

Seasonality: Fall

Serves: 6 - 8

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As the obsession with pumpkin beer continues to grow, we're seeing more and more recipes with the delicious ale. Here's one from The Ladies of Craft Beer for a great fall pumpkin soup with yummy chorizo.

Ingredients

3 TBL of Olive Oil
1 lb of Chorizo -sliced into ½ inch rounds
1 med Onion –small diced
1 stalk of Celery –finely chopped
1 Shallot –finely chopped
2 bottles of Pumpkin Beer
2 cans of Pumpkin Puree
2 Bay Leaves
Salt & Black Pepper & Cayenne Pepper to taste

Directions

This recipe comes to us from Ladies of Craft Beer, which you should definintly check out!  Stevie Caldarola and her team have tons of resources for ladies (and men) who love craft beer.  The recipe is by Jennifer O'Connell, a trianed chef (although out of the field) who loves craft beer.  Enjoy!!
Add 2 Tbl of olive oil and the chorizo slices to a cold pot. Turn the heat on to a med-high heat. This helps to render the fat out of the sausage and flavors the oil.
Let the pieces get crispy on both sides then remove them from the pot. Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and add the onions, shallot and celery plus a pinch of salt. Cook until onions are translucent then add the beer.
Bring to a boil, add the canned pumpkin, reduce to a simmer and throw in bay leaves and finely ground black pepper . At this point you could add it to a slow cooker or simmer covered for 45 min. – 1 hour.
Puree soup with either an emersion blender or in batches using a regular blender. Taste for seasoning in the soup and add salt, black or cayenne pepper too your liking. If the soup seems thicker then you’d like add some more pumpkin beer or chicken stock at this point. Stir the chorizo back in, leaving a few to garnish the bowls if you so desire.