Yummy Lummy

A blog about food and me

Tag: Spam

  • 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.

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  • Anzac biscuit dessert

    Anzac biscuit dessert


    I write this post today, ANZAC Day.

    I think the most memorable Anzac Day I have experienced was in 1998 in Alice Springs. Like today, it was a Saturday. I was in Alice Springs for the Australian Society for Microbiology Tri-State meeting. The Tri-State meeting brings together microbiologists from the Northern Territory, Western Australia, and South Australia. At the time, I was the president of the Northern Territory branch of the Australian Society for Microbiology.

    On that Saturday, before dawn, we walked up Anzac Hill in Alice Springs. A Royal Australian Navy chaplain conducted the service. I didn’t realise before attending that he was a Roman Catholic chaplain. Many in attendance were Australian Defence Force personnel, including many Royal Australian Navy personnel. The closest seaport to Alice Springs is Port Augusta. The closest naval port to Alice Springs is HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin. Both are about 1,290 km as the crow flies from Alice Springs. Port Augusta is south, and HMAS Coonawarra is north. Those sailors were a long way from water.

    After the service, I walked back to town and enjoyed bacon and eggs for breakfast.

    Each state and territory of Australia has its own rules about gazetted public holidays. Where I am, the public holiday is observed on Saturday, so there is no public holiday on Monday. I know there are other places where the public holiday will be observed next Monday. I’m assuming the services and marches will be held on Saturday, but the Monday public holiday will be a day off for many people in that community.

    I look forward to working in the office on Monday, knowing it will be relatively quiet because many of my interstate colleagues will not be at work.

    The image is a photograph of the deep pink, almost red clouds at dawn on Anzac Day at Henley Beach. In the horizon, you can see the Henley Beach jetty; in the foreground, you can see the flat ocean, sand on the beach, some rocks, and the green beach flora. You can also see in the image the public toilet and, across the road, some buildings. The photograph was shot from the Esplanade on Henley Beach.

    Spam Musubi.

    Earlier in the week, a memory from 2015 surfaced on Facebook. At the time, I was on holiday in Hawaii. I had purchased my first Spam Musubi, which was delicious. One of the great things about watching Hawaii Five-0 is how often Spam Musubi comes up.

    A photograph of Spam Musubi from a holiday in Hawaii in 2015. It is sitting on a white saucer.

    Influenza immunisation

    I’m travelling next month. It is timely to update my influenza immunisation. I had the injection yesterday afternoon. It was a little unusual. The person administering the injection was quite nervous. The injection hurt more than normal. When the person removed the needle, the puncture started to bleed profusely. I was asked whether I was on any anticoagulants. When I responded, “No, I assumed you pranged a vessel.” I had clearly offended the person. I did not explain that I was a medical practitioner. I just waited for the blood to stop flowing and left as soon as I could.

    Pain and bruising at the injection site 18 hours after the injection are also significant.

    Pizza

    For the first time in more than 20 years, I had a pizza delivered. It was delicious, and I ate the whole thing in one sitting. I ordered it from a local pizza shop and used Uber Eats to deliver it.

    I don’t know if I’d do it again. I’m not even sure why I did it last night.

    When I woke up this morning, I felt bloated. I also passed a lot of flatus. That’s been a bit unusual for me over the last couple of years. A diet heavy in meat-based protein and fat tends not to cause much flatulence.

    A box of Oasis Pizzeria’s 'Hot and Tasty Pizza' is shown. The pizza is topped with black olives, pepperoni, pineapple, bacon, mozzarella cheese, and anchovies.

    The last Hot Cross Bun

    A freshly toasted sourdough Hot Cross bun from Perryman’s Bakery in North Adelaide is shown. A large wedge of grass-fed butter is placed between the top and bottom of the bun. Next to the bun on the right is a clear glass cup of coffee with a lovely crema on top. The bun and coffee are placed on a black ceramic plate, which is sitting on butcher’s paper.

    Second morning tea

    A photograph of a Anzac biscuit on a white saucer and a mug coffee in a red mug

    Anzac biscuits

    I picked up a few Anzac biscuits from a local bakery. It came in a six-pack. I had one with coffee this morning, and it was chewy rather than hard, stiff, or crunchy. I usually like them hard, stiff, and crunchy, but chewy is all right. They were tough enough to crumble with a heavy object and also gave a good coffee dunking experience.

    A photograph of crumbed Anzac biscuits from Perryman's Bakery

    Recipe

    To make my Anzac biscuit dessert, I crumbled an Anzac biscuit with a heavy object while it was in a plastic bag. I whipped some locally sourced, pure, pouring cream (no thickeners) and folded in the crumbled Anzac biscuit. I served it with some locally manufactured vanilla ice cream made with full-cream milk and no other additives.

    Brown paper bag with a clear window containing Anzac biscuits.
    A photograph of a stainless steel coffee Tamper. It's not a butt plug.
    A photograph of crumbed Anzac biscuits from Perryman's Bakery
    A photograph of freshly whipped Fleurieu Peninsula pure pouring cream in a clear glass mixing bowl
    A photograph of Anzac Biscuit Dessert made with a Perryman's Anzac biscuit, freshly whipped Fleurieu Peninsula pure pouring cream, and Golden North vanilla ice cream in a black bowl
    A photograph of Anzac Biscuit Dessert made with a Perryman's Anzac biscuit, freshly whipped Fleurieu Peninsula pure pouring cream, and Golden North vanilla ice cream in a black bowl
    A photograph of Anzac Biscuit Dessert made with a Perryman's Anzac biscuit, freshly whipped Fleurieu Peninsula pure pouring cream, and Golden North vanilla ice cream in a black bowl
    A photograph of Anzac Biscuit Dessert made with a Perryman's Anzac biscuit, freshly whipped Fleurieu Peninsula pure pouring cream, and Golden North vanilla ice cream in a black bowl

    Carbohydrate overload

    The last 24 hours have been a carbohydrate overload.

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