Pumpkin soup with caramelised onion and bacon

Cold nights in Canberra require comforting pumpkin soup

Yes, I like cooking pumpkin soup and I like eating (or is it drinking) pumpkin soup. I suppose I also like shooting photographs of pumpkin soup but the lack of contrast makes it a challenge to get an interesting shot. I suppose if I wasn’t so hungry for getting it into my belly I’d set up better with props and maybe do an overhead shot with a soup spoon and stuff like that 😉 

I often add onion and bacon to my soups but this is the first time I’ve gone to the trouble of caramelising the onions first.

2014-08-13_18.14.52_001_GARY_LUM

Pumpkin soup with caramelised onion and bacon
 
Recipe Type: Dinner or lunch
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
An easy comforting soup for a winter’s night or day. Anyone can make this.
Ingredients
  • One quarter of a small Kent pumpkin
  • One large brown onion
  • One rasher of streaky bacon
  • One cup of white wine
  • One cup of boiling water or one cup of vegetable stock
  • Chopped parsley
  • Chopped spring onion
  • One tablespoon of brown sugar
  • Two tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  • Two tablespoons of vegetable oil
Instructions
  1. Get everything prepared in advance
  2. Have a stainless steel saucepan out with a lid
  3. Cut the pumpkin into large chunks and remove the skin and seeds
  4. Slice the onion
  5. Slice the bacon
  6. Pour two tablespoons of vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil) into a hot stainless steel saucepan
  7. Add the sliced onion and turn down the heat and stir periodically (that means every four to five minutes) for about 30 minutes when you should see the onion is a nice brown translucent colour
  8. Your apartment will smell of onions now and it will hang around all night for you to wake up to it
  9. You should probably close the door to your bedroom, I always forget
  10. Add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar and stir until the vinegar has reduced and the onions are sticky
  11. Remove the onions and add the bacon and stir around until it starts to stick to the bottom of the saucepan
  12. Deglase the pan with the wine and add back the onions and pumpkin chunks
  13. Add the water or stock and bring to a slow simmer
  14. Put the lid on the saucepan and cook until the pumpkin is soft, that should take about 20 to 30 minutes
  15. Turn off the heat and with a stick blender blend until smooth
  16. At this stage you might add a dash of pouring cream, it’s up to you
  17. Add some parsley and spring onion
  18. Stir
  19. Aliquot into a tupperware freezer soup mug for work and pour the rest into a bowl trying not to splash the sides
  20. Shoot a photograph (I used a Nikon D7100 with a Tamron 90 mm MACRO lens at 1/250 seconds, f/4 and ISO 400)
  21. Eat (or is it drink) the soup
  22. Clean your dishes
  23. Write the recipe
  24. Blog about it and hope people read it
 
Notes
I hope you enjoy this recipe and go ahead and make it.

 
If you have any comments or questions please send me a comment in the space below.

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This morning’s breakfast was bacon and scrambled eggs

Bacon and scrambled eggs

12 Responses

  1. So the soup would be well appreciated by the Mrs and I would also enjoy with addition of large quantities of bacon – everyone’s a winner!

  2. Gaz, I LOVE pumpkin soup and loved you recipe!!! I love the advice to close the doors but feel the step that states wash the dishs should be given not to the cook but to the eater.

    Going to make this tonight!!

    B

    1. Thanks Bec
      I often dream of a big hubbit reunion where we spend a few days together in East Arnhem Land with a George Foreman grill and a deep fat fryer. Drapes can even make his drapotto if he likes. For you, I’d make pumpkin soup 🙂
      Gaz

  3. I have only recently followed your blog and the food pictures are amazing.
    I love pumpkin soup and I make one with cummin added. I will give one a go as it sound delicious.

    1. Hello Heather,
      Thanks for following and thank you for your kind words. I am really enjoying the learning experience that goes with food photography.
      Adding cummin sounds great. One thing that I didn’t add to last night’s creation that I often add to soups like this is a little bit of curry powder.
      I hope you enjoy the soup.
      Gaz

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