We are at the age now where Halloween isn’t really a big deal. We are too old to trick or treat, too old to want to go clubbing in costumes, and too young to have kids of our own to bring out. So, every year on Halloween now, I’ve dedicated my evening to cooking a really great soup. I actually made this exact soup last year but decided to add a few different spices and of course, photograph it a little better.

This is more of a puree than a soup, which is why it is so filling. I am a big believer that if you’re serving up soup as the main course, it better be packed with hearty goods. I will also state the following time and time again: if you’re serving me soup, there better be bread or some sustenance to dip. I’m sorry, I’m coming off as a hangry monster, but I always look forward to my dinner and hope that it leaves me in a state somewhere between satisfyingly full and ready to curl up in a blanket and hibernate.

As much as I think soups are generally easy enough to make, this one technically requires your to be around within 20 minutes of it cooking. So yes, you do have a 20 minute break with this soup, but you may want to set the table, start the bread in the oven, or maybe even clean your kitchen! Or, in my case, set up a photography station for when the soup is ready.

For any soup, I highly recommend you have the following available in your kitchen: a food processor and a stick blender. Now, the food processor is never necessary in most cases, but if you want to make your life easier for any recipe that involves cutting things into small pieces, you’re going to want to go get one. I bought mine (Hamilton Beach brand) at Canadian Tire on Boxing Day for $49.99. It’s normally $89.99 which is still a great price for how great this little machine is. I believe this one is currently on sale at Canadian Tire for $49.99, so don’t wait until Boxing Day if you’re thinking of getting one. As for a stick blender, this is pretty necessary for making a puree. You can find these at Canadian Tire as well for a low price of $21.99 or you can go ham and spend $89.99 on a higher quality one. It’s up to you. A tip for using the hand blender: do this in the sink. I move my pot of soup from the stovetop to the sink just in case of an explosion when blending! Better not to mess up the kitchen too much, and best not to burn yourself in the process.

Servings: 6 large bowls

Ingredients: 4 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 large raw white onion (chopped), 1 tbsp curry powder, 4 large carrots (peeled and chopped), 4 sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped), 8 cups chicken broth, 2 tsp salt, 3 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and chopped), freshly ground black pepper (for serving), 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese.

Instructions: In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Do not brown. Add the curry powder and cook a minute more. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, chicken broth and salt and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the apples. Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, cool the soup slightly, then puree in a blender in batches. Be sure to leave the hole in the lid open, and cover with a kitchen towel, to allow the steam to escape.) Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with grated Pecorino.

I’m going to give you an easy fix for a fresh tasting baguette that you can have way ahead of time… frozen baguettes! Food Basics sells these in the frozen section. Dempster’s makes a package of two frozen baguettes that can be baked in the oven for bout 15 minutes and voila! Tastes just like a fresh stick of bread and perfect for dipping in the soup.