Satisfying soups

I have been enjoying a lot of home-made soups recently, I find them very satisfying, easy to make and nutritious. The recent rainy weather encourages me to make soup an provides an easy offering for lunch or dinner, and a large pot will ensure there are leftovers as well.

Soup can be made with almost any fresh vegetable in your fridge, adding some split peas contributes valuable protein content. A good amount of aromatics such as garlic and onion together with a generous amount of fresh herbs make for a delicious outcome every-time.

Healing pumpkin and split pea soup with mint and yoghurt

Fresh turmeric and ginger makes this the perfect healing soup.

1 tbs coconut oil

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp roasted and ground cumin seeds

1 tsp ground coriander seed

1 tbs chopped fresh turmeric

2 inch piece ginger, peeled and chopped

3 lbs pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

⅓ cup yellow split peas

2-inch piece cinnamon stick

small piece of hot pepper (optional)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

freshly-chopped mint for garnish

yoghurt

Heat oil in a medium saucepan or Dutch oven, add onion, garlic, cumin,coriander and turmeric, saute, add pumpkin, carrot, split peas, cinnamon and hot pepper, stir well.

Add salt and black pepper, add enough water to just cover the vegetables.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, check to ensure the split peas are melted. Cook longer if needed.

Remove cinnamon stick, and puree until smooth.

Taste and adjust seasonings, add a little water if too thick.

Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkling of chopped mint.

Serves 4

Pigeon pea soup

2 tbs coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

2 onions, chopped

¼ cup chopped celery

¼ cup chopped chives

1 large sprig fresh thyme

4 ozs pumpkin, chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 lb frozen pigeon peas

½ cup freshly made tomato sauce

2 cloves

1 hot pepper, left whole

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

½ tsp sugar

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

In a large soup pot, heat oil, add garlic and onion, sauté until fragrant and tender, about 4 minutes.

Add celery, chives, thyme, stir to combine.

Add pumpkin and carrot, stir and add pigeon peas, stir well.

Add tomato sauce, cloves, and hot pepper, cook for a few minutes more.

Add stock sugar, salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes,

If using fresh peas, cook for about 45 minutes.

Remove hot pepper.

Remove half the soup and puree in blender.

Return to pot and stir, add a little more broth or water to thin if necessary.

Bring to a boil, once again before serving.

Serves 4 to 6 as a main course.

Trini hearty corn soup

1 tbs coconut oil

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb English potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 hot pepper

4 pimento peppers, chopped and seeded

2 carrots, diced

⅓ cup fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup chopped celery

⅓ cup chopped chives

¾ cup yellow split peas, washed and picked over

4 cups beef stock or vegetable stock or water

½ cup coconut milk

4 ears corn, cut into 2-inch pieces

½ cup chopped chadon beni or cilantro

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat oil, add onions and garlic sauté until fragrant, add potatoes, hot pepper, pimentos, carrots, thyme, chives, celery, cook for about 5 minutes more.

Add split peas, broth and coconut milk, season with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and bring to a boil.

Cover and simmer for about 40 minutes until peas are soft.

Puree soup to a thick and creamy consistency, return to pot.

Add corn and dumplings and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until cooked and dumplings float to the surface.

Add chadon beni, remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings.

If soup seems too thick you can add a little water.

Serves 6 to 8

Dumplings

2 cups flour

1 tsp butter

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub butter into flour until mixture is grainy, slowly all water and knead to a stiff dough.

Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Divide dumpling dough into 2 pieces, roll each piece into a long rope like shape about 12 inches in length, cut into 2 inch lengths and drop into boiling soup.

Serves 6 to 8

Vegetarian sancoche

1 cup yellow split peas

6 ochroes, sliced (optional)

8 cups vegetable broth

1 cup chopped pumpkin

1 cup chopped carrot

2 onions, chopped

¼ cup fresh thyme

2 tbs fresh chopped celery

2 pimento peppers seeded and chopped

2 cloves garlic

3 tbs vegetable oil

1 hot pepper left whole

2 lbs mixed provision (sweet potatoes, yams, eddoes, cassava) etc

1 plantain, half ripe, peeled and thickly sliced

12 dumplings

Salt and pepper to taste

Peel provision and cut into 2 inch pieces, place a bowl and cover with water until ready for use.

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven place all ingredients except provision, plantain and dumplings.

Cover with water and bring to a boil, simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.

Season with salt and black pepper.

Add provision.

Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Drop in dumplings and add plantain, cook until dumplings and plantain are cooked, about 10 minutes. Serve hot with or without the hot pepper.

Serves 6 to 8

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