hot and spicy

Delicious spicy pumpkin soup with a twist

Posted by Gary

As they say in Game of Thrones, “Winter is coming”. It’s getting cold so that means warming comfort foods. In my mind for a comfort soup it has to be a spicy pumpkin soup, not a boring creamy bland soup but a soup with kick. 

Here's the kicker. Jalapeño peppers with some capsicum.
Here’s the kicker. Jalapeño peppers with some capsicum.

Now ordinarily I’d start my soup by frying off some streaky bacon but tonight I used some classic SPAM® because I still have some left over from last night’s meal SPAM® is my SECRET ingredient.

Hot and spicy pumpkin soup garnished with fried shallots and dried edible flowers
Hot and spicy pumpkin soup garnished with fried shallots and dried edible flowers
Delicious spicy pumpkin soup with a twist
 
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Kent pumpkin diced
  • Capsicum diced
  • Jalapeño pepper sliced
  • Classic SPAM® diced
  • Worcestershire sauce
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Pepper
  • White wine
  • Coconut cream
  • Fried shallots
  • Garlic
Instructions
  1. Fry off the SPAM® in a saucepan until it starts to change colour and stick to the bottom of the pan
  2. Add a splash of white wine to deglase the bottom of the pan
  3. Add the pumpkin, capsicum and jalapeño pepper
  4. Cover with some water and add the crushed garlic plus Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco sauce
  5. Bring to a simmer and cook until the pumpkin is soft
  6. With a stick blender process the soup until it is smooth
  7. Add a splash of coconut and stir in
  8. Pour the soup into a bowl and garnish with fried shallots and dried edible flowers
  9. Shoot a photograph
  10. Enjoy the soup
  11. Washes the dishes
  12. Blog (verb)
 

Now for an added treat I wanted to share with some my other meals from today

Uncle Toby's Rolled Oats (Porridge) with brown sugar
Uncle Toby’s Rolled Oats (Porridge) with brown sugar

For morning tea my amazing work mates brought in a Flute bakery cake for my 50th birthday. They are totally awesome.

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For lunch I had an Irish lamb hot pie from Urban Bean Espresso Bar. It reminded me of today’s notquitenigella post.

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So how do you make a spicy pumpkin soup? Would you add spam?

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Quinoa corn fritters and caramel popcorn cronut

Posted by Gary

As I continue my quinoa journey I was inspired by #MKR last night and made quinoa corn fritters for dinner tonight.

Last night on My Kitchen Rules, a couple of contestants made corn fritters. I thought I could do something similar with quinoa and made quinoa corn fritters.

These ones had my own special touch to them and I reckon tomorrow I’ll be thinking #ringoffire 😀 

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Quinoa corn fritters and caramel popcorn cronut
 
Recipe Type: Dinner
Cuisine: Australian
Author: Gary Lum
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • Corn kernels
  • Quinoa
  • Flour
  • Curry powder
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • Chilli flakes
  • Coriander
  • Mint
  • Sliced red chilli
  • Lemon zest
  • Lemon juice
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan cook ⅓ cup of cleaned quinoa in ⅔ cup water. Boil for 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat with the lid on and rest for 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl add some corn kernels, the quinoa, a couple of dessert spoons of plain flour, a teaspoon or two of curry powder, a good few grinds of pepper, 1 beaten egg, shredded mint, shredded coriander, a dessert spoon of chilli flakes, a sliced red chilli, the zest of a lemon, and the juice of a lemon.
  3. Mix thoroughly and allow to rest for a few minutes.
  4. In a frying pan add a thin layer of grape seed oil and a big nob of butter. If you’re a hippy you can use some coconut oil but I have no idea if that’s any better than grape seed oil and butter or beef dripping or lard.
  5. When the oil and butter is hot add dollops of the quinoa corn fritter mix
  6. Fry each side for about 2 minutes
  7. Drain on some absorbent paper
  8. Plate up with some olives and a stuffed pepper
  9. Shoot a photograph
  10. Eat the meal
  11. Then eat the cronut
  12. Wash the dishes
  13. Write the recipe
  14. Blog (verb)
 

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and after the hot and spicy quinoa corn fritters, it’s time for a caramel popcorn cronut from Ricardo’s Cafe in Jamison.

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Ricardo’s Cafe does take away

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Ricardo's Cafe on Urbanspoon

So have you made quinoa corn fritters?