Creamy Winter Soup + Candied Pecans and Bacon is a beautifully complex soup that will warm the soul!
Is it just me or is this winter never-ending? You agree, don’t you. I thought so. Let’s look on the bright side – only in the dead of winter can you roast rutabaga and yams and puree them up into the most beautiful and complex soup known to man.
Finally, potentially the best part of this entire dish, is the candied pecans and bacon crumble on top. Look at those sugar crystals! Can’t you just taste it?
You know when you eat that perfect baked yam with the melted butter and brown sugar…. This soup is kind of like that. But in soup form. With bacon. Candied bacon.
Don’t get me wrong, though. It is not over-poweringly sweet. It is complex, savory and decadent. This is a soup to savor and enjoy with some crusty, buttered French bread and a glass of light, sparkling wine. It is a soup to “wow” your dinner guests with and to keep you warm in this seemingly never-ending winter. It is the essence of what a “winter soup” is and you guys just simply need to try it.
Stay warm, my friends, and stay hopeful! That smell of melting snow (yes, I swear there is a smell to it) and the sound of chirping birds and new tree buds is not too far around the corner. For now, let’s just enjoy the excuse to curl up with a bowl of savory Winter Soup and hey, you have my permission to go heavy on the Candied Pecans and Bacon.
Cheers!
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After….
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Ingredients
- 1 rutabaga, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 4 yams, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, diced
- 5 cups vegetable stock
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground sage
Candied Pecans and Bacon:
- 4 slices bacon
- ½ cup pecans, chopped
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Serving Suggestion:
- french bread slices
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Roast Veggies: Place rutabaga chunks and yam chunks on a sheet pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Toss to coat. Place in oven and roast for about 30 minutes (we are not looking to fully cook them – just to add a little bit of that "roasting"flavor).
- Sauté: In a large soup pot, add chopped bacon and bring to medium heat. Stir fairly continuously until the bacon fat starts to render (about 4-6 minutes). Then add diced onion. Cook and stir until onion cooks down (about 4 minutes).
- Boil: Add 5 cups vegetable stock and chopped celery. Bring to boil. Remove vegetables from the oven and add to your soup pot.
- Simmer: Add 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander, ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground sage and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix thoroughly and then cover and let simmer for 30-40 minutes or until vegetables are very soft.
- Cool: Remove from heat and let cool. Once mixture has cooled, take out your blender.
- Blend: In batches, blend mixture until silky smooth *but be careful!! If you don't let the mixture cool enough it may pop the top off of your blender – make sure it is cool and even then I would recommend keeping a towel over the top of your blender* Once you have blended it all, place back in your soup pot and heat back up.
- Make Candied Pecans and Bacon: Cook 4 slices bacon until crispy and then cut into chunks. In a small skillet, add bacon, ½ cup pecans and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Mix continuously. Slowly the sugar will start to melt and stick to the bacon and pecans. If it sits too long without stirring, the sugar will stick to the pan and not the ingredients. Once sugar has melted and stuck to bacon and pecans, remove from heat and place in bowl.
- Serve: Enjoy the soup hot, with french bread slices and garnish with candied pecans and bacon.
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