Orange you hungry?

Sunday is Halloween. For the past week or so, the big topic of discussion among kids has been costumes — and, of course, all the candy they’ll tote home.

We live in Logan Square and each Halloween, the Logan Square Neighborhood Association tosses a big party in Coxe Park. The place is decked out with cobwebs, cornhusks, scarecrows and decoratively carved jack-‘o-lanterns. There are goodies galore, along with "healthy treats" such as carrot sticks and tea sandwiches. After the party wraps up, the kids go trick-or-treating throughout the darkened streets.

Orange and black are the colors of All Hallows Eve. There’s not much in the way of black food; caviar and blackberries come to mind. But Mother Nature has given us brightly colored orange foods, which I always associate with Halloween and Thanksgiving.

One of my favorite soups is a pur�e of carrot and ginger. The marvelous thing about this soup is that it can be served hot or cold. It’s even tasty at room temperature. I’m thinking about toting along a pot of the soup to our Halloween party. If it cools down a bit, it keeps just fine.

While leafing through Celebrate! by Sheila Lukins ($19.95, Workman Publishing, paperback with full-color photographs), I came across a recipe for a Moorish carrot soup topped with harissa, the spicy condiment from Tunisia. Many versions of harissa are available and some are hotter than others. You will be working with hot chilies, so be sure you wash your hands thoroughly after touching them and do not rub your eyes because they contain a lot of fire. To be on the safe side, I wear rubber gloves.

I have loved gingersnaps since childhood and often enjoyed them with a glass of milk as an afterschool treat. To this day, I devour Ivan’s Spiced Wafers — actually gingersnaps — which are instantly recognizable in their orange and black boxes. Still, here is an easy recipe for homemade gingersnaps, and more recipes for a happy and safe Halloween.

Carrot Ginger Soup

Ingredients:

1 stick butter
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 piece fresh ginger, about 3 inches long, peeled and chopped
2 (22-ounce packages) chicken stock or 4 (13-ounce) cans chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1-1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Pinch of curry powder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Melt the butter in a 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and saut� for about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the stock, wine and carrots. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered over medium heat until the carrots are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Remove from the heat and let cool. Pur�e the soup in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade. You may have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender or processor. Pour the soup back into the pot.

Season to taste with curry powder, salt and pepper. Serve the soup hot, cold or at room temperature.

Serves six.

Moorish Carrot Soup
From Celebrate! by Sheila Lukins

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 (22-ounce) packages chicken broth or 4 (13-ounce) cans chicken broth
1/4 cup pearl barley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Harissa (recipe follows)

Directions:

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over low heat. Add the onion, carrots and garlic, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.

Add the cumin and stir to coat the vegetables for three minutes.

Add the broth and barley and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until the carrots are tender and the barley is cooked, 35 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Process the soup in a blender or food processor, in batches if necessary, until mostly pur�ed but not completely smooth. Return the soup to the pot and heat through over low heat.

Serve with harissa on the side.

Serves six.

Harissa

Ingredients:

3 large dried chilies, such as ancho chilies
3 roasted red bell peppers
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:

Rinse the chilies and remove the stems. Soak them in a bowl of hot water for one hour to rehydrate. Drain them thoroughly.

Place the rehydrated chilies, roasted peppers, garlic, salt, caraway, coriander and cumin in the food processor. Pulse the machine on and off until the mixture is well combined but not completely smooth.

With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube. Continue processing until the oil is incorporated and the mixture is just smooth, about the consistency of mayonnaise.

Transfer the harissa to a glass jar and keep refrigerated for up to four days.

Makes 1-1/4 cups.

Note from Phyllis: You can substitute 1 (15-ounce) jar of roasted peppers in this recipe.

Aunt Big’s Gingersnaps
From How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 heaping tablespoon baking soda
2 tablespoons hot water
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 heaping tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to cream the butter, sugar and molasses until smooth. Mix the baking soda with 2 tablespoons hot water and beat into this mixture.

Mix together the flour, spices and salt in a bowl. Stir them into the butter mixture and beat well. Shape into two long rolls, wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Slice the cookies as thinly as you can, place on ungreased baking sheets and bake about 10 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.

Remove the cookies from the sheet while they are still warm and cool them on wire racks. Store in a covered container at room temperature for several days.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen.