Soup Joumou is traditionally consumed on New Year’s Day as a historical tribute to Haitian independence day in 1804 when newly freed slaves consumed the soup – a meal forbidden to them by their French masters, but we thought you might want to try it as a Christmas Eve treat to warm up your holiday. You can always make another pot for New Year’s!
O come, O come, Emmanuel!
Redeem thy captive Israel
That into exile drear is gone,
Far from the face of God’s dear Son.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
Shall come to thee, O Israel.
Soup Joumou
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound(s) Beef Stew Meat
- 10 cup(s) Water
- 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper
- 2 pound(s) Pumpkin
- 2 Peeled Carrots
- 2 Celery Stalks
- 5 Parsley Spigs
- 1 cup(s) Diced Onions
- 2 Peeled Turnips diced
- 2 Potatoes Cubed
- 1 pound(s) Cabbage chopped finely
- 1 pound(s) Thin Spaghetti
- 2 Limes
- 1 Can of Tomato Paste
- 1 cup(s) Tomato Sauce
In a medium pot, cook pumpkin over medium heat in 6 cups water for 30 minutes.
Puree pumpkin in the water.
While pumpkin is cooking, clean meat with lime, rinse with hot water and drain.
Marinate meat with meat rub or Rub the meat with the spice paste-scallions, onion, thyme, garlic, shallot, green pepper, salt and black pepper ground together. (For an enhanced flavor, you can marinate the meat from 1 hour up to one day in advance.)
In stockpot, add the meat with the oil and tomato paste and brown by adding small amounts of water to caramelize the meat.
Cook covered over medium heat for 20 minutes.
Add 3 cups water and puree pumpkin and bring to a boil.
Add the cabbage, carrots, celery, onion, turnips, tomato sauce, potato and parsley to the soup, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour with a whole scotch bonnet on top. (The whole scotch bonnet is for flavoring not to make the soup “hot”. Remember to find and remove the pepper as you stir the soup and remove it before it bursts.)
Add the spaghetti broken in to short pieces and cook until soft and tender.
Taste and add a minimal amount of salt, black pepper or hot pepper to taste.
Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit until ready to serve.
Submitted by: Nadyne Duverseau, Grants Officer, The Episcopal Church
For a downloadable/printable version of this recipe, visit:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/blog/advent/resources
Tomorrow: Leek & Potato Pie
Make Ready The Feast 