this tag definitely needs some expansion, but you could technically make yourself an entire dinner with this link. stay tuned for haitian stewed chicken, diri a sauce pois (rice with haitian black bean sauce) and griot (fried pork).

you’re very welcome and happy eating!

it’s that time of year again! traditionally served on new year’s day in celebration of haiti’s independence, soup joumou is a popular and very delicious holiday dish. on january 1, 1804, newly freed slaves consumed the once forbidden dish after running the french off the island and claiming their independence. in my house, half the day is spent in the kitchen and only the women cook. histories are shared, secrets revealed, stories passed on… it really is my favorite day of the year!

the thickness and mildly spicy taste of this vivid, flavorful stew is perfect for warming the bones in the middle of winter. soup joumou is made from pumpkin or yellow squash and often contains meat (beef or pork), hearty autumn veggies, vermicelli, and little doughy soup dumplings called domnbwey. domnbwey is an easy project for kids who want in on the fun of cooking too! i’ve included the simple recipe for domnbwey at the bottom of this post. enjoy and happy new year!

SOUP JOUMOU
ingredients:
• 1 lb beef neck or oxtail
• 1/2 lemon
• fine sea salt
• crushed black pepper
• water (enough to cover meat; more water may be added later to adjust consistency)
• 2 lbs pumpkin, peeled & cubbed (alternately, use canned pumpkin)
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 scallion stems, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 leek, chopped
• a small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley (about 3 sprigs), minced
• a small bunch fresh thyme (about 3 sprigs), minced
• a hearty bushel of spinach
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/2 head of green cabbage, chopped
• 6 small potatoes, peeled & cubed
• 3 large carrots, chopped
•1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp hot pepper (add more if you like more heat)
• 1/4 lb vermicelli pasta or macaroni
• domnbwey (soup dumplings)

directions:
in a bowl, clean meat with lemon and hot water, then season with salt and pepper. chop into cubes and marinate meat in onions, scallions, garlic, parsley and thyme. refrigerate covered overnight (alternatively, if making same day, set aside for one to two hours). 

in a small saucepan half filled with water (maybe 2 cups), cook pumpkin until tender, about 30 minutes. mash/puree pumpkin in pot.

in a stockpot, cover and cook meat with 1 cup water over low heat for 30 minutes. add pureed pumpkin (add additional cup of water if necessary) and bring to boil for about 30 minutes. add spinach, bell pepper, celery, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, nutmeg and hot pepper. cook uncovered for 20 minutes. add pasta and dumplings. cook covered for 10 minutes. add sea salt and black pepper to taste. 

serve hot with buttered haitian or french bread.

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DOMNBWEY
haitian soup dumplings are soft, chewy and take on the rich spicy flavor of your soup joumou. to ensure they don’t get too tough, add dumplings about ten minutes before soup is finished cooking. this is a fun and simple project for kid chefs!

ingredients:
• 3 cups white flour
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup water 

directions:
in a bowl, combine ingredients and kneed until lumps are gone. hand mold into round or oblong balls, then spoon into boiling soup and cook until more or less solid (about 10 minutes). that’s it! 

some of you might remember my numerous half-realized attempts at becoming vegetarian, but now that my health is becoming even more important to me, i’ve got even more resolve to make the leap. with so much research leaning towards vegetarianism as the more healthy, environmentally responsible and economically practical option, it seems just plain stupid for me (and i really mean me, not you) to keep eating as much animal derived food as i do. i don’t eat much red meat anyway and i’m lactose intolerant, but i still love cheese and chicken and the odd turkey burger.

anyway, this “third option” seems so doable! 5 days veg, 2 days whatever i want. i suspect that at some point, i’ll lose my appetite for animal products all together. that’s the goal. check out the clip on tedtalks (via knowing is helping)