PUMPKIN SOUP (Page 18)

PUMPKIN SOUP Haitian Recipe
1 lb. beef stew meat
1 onion, cut up
1 lb. chicken
3 medium turnips, cubed
1/4 quart water
1 hot pimento, whole with stem
1 T. lemon or lime juice
1/4 lb. pasta or vermicelli
3 cloves, whole (I'd tie in cheesecloth)
1 c. flour
1/2 lb. cabbage, chopped
2 T. baking powder
1 lb. pumpkin (joumou), cubed
pinch of salt
2 large carrots, cut up
2 T. unsalted butter
1/4 c. celery stalks and leaves, cut up
cold water
3 medium potatoes, cubed
Use a large kettle and boil the beef and chicken in water with cloves (tied in
cheesecloth) and lime juice for 20 minutes. Remove froth as it forms. Add all of the
vegetables (except the pimento) Boil 35-40 minutes longer, until tender. You can
remove meat and cloves (or fish out 3 cloves) and puree veggies with an immersion
blender if you wish for a creamier base. Return meat and pimento to soup (make sure
pimento is not broken it is added for more aroma, than flavor). Add pasta and cook
until tender. This can be served with dumplings as well. Dumplings: Cut butter into
flour until it forms pea-sized lumps. Gradually add water until it is the consistency of
non-sticky pizza dough. Form into finger-like shapes. Cook in soup 5-10 minutes.
Note: New Year Day is a holiday observed in Haiti. The Christians pray till midnight,
sing to the Lord and wish each other ‘Happy New Year’ afterward. Then they go
home and eat pumpkin soup. To learn more go here