Yes folks, from the far reaches and vast depths of
the empty (so they say) mind of TRAX Chaplain
Neil, comes this quick and nourishing soup that
TRAX members have so often enjoyed at the
Annual Christmas Gathering.
Cream of Pumpato Soup with Beef and Bacon Croutons
Neil says: “I have never divulged this recipe
before but so many have asked ‘how it’s
made and what is in it’ that I have relented,
and, well, here it is. No copyright, but I
wouldn’t fiddle with extra or different
ingredients or you might spoil it.”
Wot you will need:
- 2 saucepans, (Large), 1 boiler, (about 6 -10 litre size (at least). At least 1 big wooden stirring spoon. A good-sized fire, or a double burner gas stove. Large chopping board to cut up spuds, then pumpkin, then meat. At least one large cutting knife. (You’ll need a strong one.) One ‘Bamix’ or ‘Stick mixer’. This is most important.
- 1- 6 kilos of washed or peeled spuds, cut up into small pieces.
- 1 kilo About half a pumpkin. Kent or Queensland Blue for preference, Butternut, if that’s all that is available. (It still tastes good.)
- 1 kilo of diced, cubed or stir fry beef. The meat must be cubed or cut into small pieces only about 1 cm cubed.
- 4 rashers or good sized pieces of middle cut bacon (Cut the fat off them). The bacon is cut same size only as it is much thinner – squares of about 1 cm.
- 2 (at least) tins of Full Cream evaporated milk. (Not condensed, evaporated.) Carnation type.
- 1 tin of Coconut cream – readily available, at least from Coles.
- Salt & Pepper to taste. (These to be added onto the soup after you have served it out. People like to add their own amounts to the soup. Don’t do it for them!)
- At least one loaf of fresh, crusty bread. Preferably homemade. Se last 2 lines of recipe.
How to do it:
- Cut up spuds and boil them until soft enough to mash easily. You will need twice the volume of potatoes to that of pumpkin.
- Then cut up pumpkin into small pieces that will soften fairly quickly when boiled.
- Boil up spuds and pour most of the water off them and mash. (By pouring off most of the water, this removes the starch from the potatoes and makes for a much nicer flavour.) You can add a little butter or margarine to the potatoes but not too much. You are making soup remember.
- When you have your spuds mashed, put them aside and then do the pumpkin. When cooked pour nearly all the water off them and give them a good mashing.
- Now combine mashed spuds and pumpkin in the boiler (or very large saucepan) and use the ‘Bamix’ or ‘stick mixer’ moving in all directions until the spuds and pumpkin are completely puréed.
- Now add slowly the contents of the 2 tins of Evaporated milk. (This supplies the liquid to the mix and why you don’t need the water that the vegies were cooked in.) ‘Bamix’ this liquid in, then follow it with the Coconut Cream.
- Now the patient bit! Put the boiler onto either your gas stove or a reasonably cool fire and begin stirring. Warning! You will burn the mixture if you leave it for more than a minute! Stir slowly with your large wooden spoon or spatula making sure that you use a rolling motion, i.e. Stirring so that the liquid at the top gets stirred to the bottom all the time.
- If you are by yourself, take the soup off the heat after a while and put it aside. Now is the time to fry or grill the meat ‘croutons’. DON’T overcook them – they will burn easily. Just get them to the point where you can smell a nice grilled meat aroma and then take them off the heat and add them to the Potato and Pumpkin mix.
- Stir the meat thoroughly in (you want to get the meat flavour into the spud/pumpkin mix), after you have put the big boiler or saucepan back onto the low heat.
- Now stir until some steam starts to come off the whole mixture. It’s ready!
- Call the ‘troops’ give them some of your freshly baked bush bread (must be really fresh – made that morning – see past issues of TRAXION and TRAXCOOKX for my bread recipes) give thanks and ENJOY!