Yummy Lummy

A blog about food and me

Tag: Pumpkin

  • Pumpkin soup

    Pumpkin soup


    Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Spam and Rye Sourdough Croutons

    Spam on special. Thirty per cent off. $4.75 instead of $6.80.

    This pumpkin soup has a savoury surprise: golden, crispy cubes of Spam folded through the bowl like salty little treasures. Roasted pumpkin brings sweetness and body, cream and cream cheese make it rich and silky, and rye sourdough croutons add a crunchy finish.

    Ingredients

    • One small pumpkin or about 500 g pumpkin pieces, peeled and chopped.
    • One half of a tin of Spam, diced.
    • One tablespoon of coconut oil or beef dripping
    • 250 mL beef, lamb, and pork stock
    • 75 mL pure pouring cream (no thickeners)
    • One tablespoon of cream cheese
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    • Some rye sourdough bread, preferably frozen overnight, then thawed slightly and diced.

    Method

    1. Heat the oven or barbecue to 200 °C. Spread the pumpkin pieces and diced Spam on a tray, drizzle with a little coconut oil (or beef dripping), and roast until the pumpkin is soft, caramelised at the edges, and easy to mash.
    2. The diced Spam should become crisp and browned. Set aside a small amount for “garnish.”
    3. Add the roasted pumpkin and cooking liquor to a saucepan. Simmer for 10 minutes so the flavours come together.
    4. Blend the soup until smooth. Stir in the cream and sour cream, then season with salt and pepper. Keep the heat gentle so the soup stays silky.
    5. Fry the diced rye sourdough in some beef dripping, letting it absorb the savoury pan flavours from the Spam. Cook until crisp.
    6. Ladle the soup into a bowl. Scatter over the crispy Spam and rye sourdough croutons.

    Serving idea

    Serve this as a lunch or easy evening meal. The Spam gives the soup a savoury, meaty edge without announcing itself too loudly, while the rye sourdough croutons bring crunch.

    Cook’s note

    Freezing the rye sourdough roll overnight, then using it for croutons, is a handy way to work resistant starch into the meal while also reducing waste. For a smoother soup, blend thoroughly before adding the crispy Spam pieces.

    Today’s food diary

    Morning tea

    I posted this on the Facebook group The Best Vanilla Slices in Australia

    It is a private group with >124,000 members.

    Vanilla slice from Providore in the Adelaide Central Market.

    Price: $5.00, which is relatively cheap for a vanilla slice these days. 8/10

    Dimensions: Very high, too high for me to bite holding vertically. It would need to be approached sideways. There’s a reason why the majority of vanilla slices aren’t high, and (in my opinion) anyone who thinks this is a good selling point is fooling themselves. 3/10

    Custard: Vanilla flavour, firm but not too gelatinous. A fork slices through the custard without the custard becoming sloppy. 9/10

    Icing: Too sweet and goopy. Unpleasant. 2/10

    Pastry: Thick and soggy. The pastry also dehisced from the custard too easily. 1/10

    Overall score: 4.6/10

    Vanilla slice from Providore in the Adelaide Central Market. Price: $5.00, which is relatively cheap for a vanilla slice these days. 8/10 Dimensions: Very high, too high for me to bite holding vertically. It would need to be approached sideways. There’s a reason why the majority of vanilla slices aren’t high, and (in my opinion) anyone who thinks this is a good selling point is fooling themselves. 3/10 Custard: Vanilla flavour, firm but not too gelatinous. A fork slices through the custard without the custard becoming sloppy. 9/10 Icing: Too sweet and goopy. Unpleasant. 2/10 Pastry: Thick and soggy. The pastry also dehisced from the custard too easily. 1/10 Overall score: 4.6/10

    Lunch

    The last of the bolar roast

    Leftover slow-cooked bolar roast

    Tea

    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and a slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter

    Diced Spam and pumpkin in a cast-iron pan.
    Diced Spam and pumpkin in a cast-iron pan
    Diced Spam and pumpkin in a cast-iron pan
    Cooked pumpkin
    Cooked pumpkin and cooking liquor
    Cooked Spam
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    Pumpkin soup with Spam, rye sourdough croutons, and slice of rye sourdough with cultured butter
    My smiling face on a pumpkin

    The soup was delicious and had amazing mouthfeel. The combination of the Spam and crusty, crispy croutons was fantastic.

    Fediverse Reactions
  • Lamb shoulder

    Lamb shoulder


    It’s been some time since I cooked a roast lamb shoulder[i]. This morning, I visited the butcher shop and was lamenting the high prices of grass-fed beef when I noticed a package of lamb that was priced lower than the others. I also picked up a chunk of pumpkin while I was there.

    Me with a plate of lamb shoulder and pumpkin generated by Microsoft Copilot.
    Microsoft Copilot used to generate this image

    Recipe

    Ingredients

    Equipment

    • Benchtop toaster oven
    • Baking tray

    Instructions

    1. Dry the surface of the lamb.
    2. Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
    3. Put some freshly cut sprigs of rosemary[iv] on the baking tray.
    4. Put the lamb on a baking tray, then place it in the oven.
    5. Cook the meat for 210 minutes (3½ hours).
    6. Rub some lamb fat between your hands.
    7. Rub a piece of pumpkin with a thin film of lamb fat.
    8. Cook the pumpkin in the oven.
    9. Allow the roast to rest for about 25 minutes before dissecting the meat from the bones and serving.
    10. Don’t forget to gnaw the meat from the bones and then spend a good ten minutes flossing and brushing your teeth.

    Photographs

    Lamb shoulder square cut in a roasting tray
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder with roast pumpkin
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder bones
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder bones
    Slowly roasted lamb shoulder bones
    Use of Microsoft Copilot for Image Generation

    Thoughts on the meal

    The lamb was tender to carve and quite juicy. A gentle squeeze yielded copious meat juice. The superficial fat was nicely rendered and flavourful.

    The pumpkin cooked evenly; it was caramelised, tender. and enjoyable to eat.

    After I put some leftover meat away, I sat down and enjoyed gnawing meat from the bones.

    Me gnawing on lamb bones generated by Microsoft Copilot.
    Microsoft Copilot used to generate this image

    Other photographs

    This morning, I took a walk along the beach. Compared to this time last year, the beach and the water were noticeably empty, with few people enjoying the fresh air. The South Australian algal bloom has led to a decline in beachgoers and swimmers. I anticipate that summer will bring smaller crowds. Selfishly, this might make my beach visits more enjoyable, as long as the algal levels aren’t too high.

    Nutrition profiles

    Pumpkin

    MacronutrientAmount per
    100 g (Cooked)
    Energy26 kcal
    Carbohydrates~6.5 g
    Protein~1 g
    Fat~0 g
    Dietary Fibre~1 g

    Lamb shoulder

    NutrientAmount per
    100 g
    Energy275 kcal
    Protein22.4 g
    Total Fat19.9 g
    Saturated Fat8.4 g
    Monounsaturated Fat8.1 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat1.6 g
    Carbohydrates0 g
    Fibre0 g
    Cholesterol92 mg
    Water~56 g

    Lamb fat

    NutrientAmount per
    100 g
    Energy648 kcal
    Total Fat68.9 g
    Saturated Fat35.4 g
    Monounsaturated Fat28.0 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat2.8 g
    Trans Fat~0–3 g
    Protein6.3–15.7 g
    Carbohydrates0 g
    Fibre0 g
    Cholesterol77–92 mg
    Water~34–40 g

    Rosemary

    NutrientAmount per
    100 g
    Energy131 kcal
    Carbohydrates20.7 g
    Dietary Fibre14.1 g
    Sugars0 g
    Protein3.3 g
    Total Fat5.9 g
    Saturated Fat2.8 g
    Monounsaturated Fat1.2 g
    Polyunsaturated Fat0.9 g
    Cholesterol0 mg

    [i] Lamb shoulder is a flavourful cut from the forequarter of the lamb, ideal for slow roasting due to its marbling and connective tissue.

    [ii] A lamb shoulder square cut refers to a specific butchering cut where the shoulder is trimmed into a rectangular block, including part of the forequarter, with the blade bone and surrounding muscles intact.

    [iii] A Kent pumpkin—also known as a JAP (Just Another Pumpkin)—is a variety from Australia, recognised for its mottled green and yellow skin and bright orange flesh.

    [iv] A sprig of rosemary refers to a small stem or twig from the rosemary plant, typically about 7–10 cm long, with the needle-like leaves still attached.