Soups

Soups and Stews are major dishes in Haiti and are mostly serve on Saturdays.  However, Haitians have a culture of having a light consome at night or ragout.  Sunday mornings in a traditional family you will find never to fail the pumpkin soup that the entire contry cook and share on January first to celebrate independance day.  Following, we have cooked up ten great Haitian soups that a cook should master as they are part of the haitian culinary must "know".

Dumplings are included in all the soups in Haiti to the exception of Pumpking soup, Tchaka, Bread soup and Soupe Pecheur.

DUMPLINGS

2 1/4 cups of flour

Butter

water

1 teaspoon of salt

Mix flour and salt ina bowl.  Cut in butter or margarine until mixture is cumbly.  Slowly add water and blend well. The dough should be moist but not too wet.

Form into fingers-shaped dumplings.  Fifteen minutes before bouillon is done, drop in dumplings and cook until firm.

Bouquet garni

With a piece of string, tie together 3 to 4 sprigs of parsley, 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 to 2 celery leaves.

BOUILLON

Ingredients

1 lb meat (beef with bones attached)
2 tbsp seasoned salt
2 limes cut in half
3 small sweet potatoes
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga
1 green pepper, sliced
3 carrots
2 onions-sliced
spinach or watercress
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cube chicken bouillion
Dumplings
salt, black pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the meat with hot water, lemon; season the meat with scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the meat in a stockpot with about one cup of water on medium heat and allow the meat to cook in its own juice.
3. Meanwhile wash and peel all the vegetables and cut the carrots into chunks as well as the yam.  The potatoes and sweet potatoes should stay whole. All the other vegetables should be cut to chunk sizes.
4. When meat is tender and all the water has evaporated, add 2-1/2 quarts of warm water in the pot and all the vegetables except the potato, sweet potato, carrot and watercress and let boil.
5. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, butter and water to create a soft dough.
6. When the vegetables are half way cooked add chicken bouillion, bouquet garni, crushed garlic, all the potatoes, carrots and spinach or watercress.  Tomato paste that has been diluted with some the soup liquid, the scotch bonnet pepper and lastly the dumplings. by cutting the dough into small pieces and roll each pieces between your two hands and add them to the boiling mixture.
7. carefully stirr the soup to avoid the vegetables and the dumplings from being stuck to the bottom.
8. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes more until it tickens to the consistancy of a soup and the soup is ready to be served. 

BOUILLON 2

Ingredients 

1 whole chicken with giblets 2 lbs beef cubed
1 calve's foot split
4 quarts water
2 carrots sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 large onion coursely chopped
3 tomatoes,peeled, seeded and chopped
1 lb. white yam cubed
2 plantains peeled and cut into 2" chunks
2 potatoes peeled but left whole

3 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs thyme2-3 cloves1 bay leaf

1 lb potatoes peeled and sliced

Instructions

after having washed and seasoned the meat.  place the meats in a large stockpot, add water and boil. after 10-15 minutes, skim the surface. reduce heat and simmer two hours, skimming again as required. 

add the vegetables and seasonings, return to simmer and cook one more hour. remove and discard seasonings and bones. 

Rooster Soup

Ingredients

1 large rooster or Fowl chicken
2 tbsp seasoned salt
2 limes cut in half
12 cups of water 
3 small sweet potatoes 
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga

1 green pepper, sliced
3 carrots
2 onions-sliced
watercress
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
oilve oil
1 tablespoon of butter
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cube chicken bouillion
Dumplings
salt, black pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the meat with hot water, lemon; season scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the meat in a stockpot with about three cups of water on medium heat and allow the meat to cook in its own juice.
3. Meanwhile wash and peel all the vegetables and cut the carrots into chunks as well as the yam.  The potatoes and sweet potatoes should stay whole. All the other vegetables should be cut to chunk sizes.
4. When the chicken is tender and all the water has evaporated, add the remaining water in the pot and all the vegetables except the potato, sweet potato, carrot and watercress and let boil.
5. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings.
6. When the vegetables are half way cooked add chicken bouillion, bouquet garni, crushed garlic, all the potatoes, carrots and spinach or watercress.  Tomato paste that has been diluted with some the soup liquid, the scotch bonnet pepper and lastly the dumplings. by cutting the dough into small pieces and roll each pieces between your two hands and add them to the boiling mixture.
7. carefully stirr the soup to avoid the vegetables and the dumplings from being stuck to the bottom.
8. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes more until it tickens to the consistancy of a soup and the soup is ready to be served, hot. 

Pumpkin Soup

This is a very special national dish. Some Haitian family makes it every sunday, but on January 1, independance day, it is a must. There are many variations of the recipe.

Ingredients

3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons salt
3 cloves
1 1/2 pounds beef (such as chunk) cut into cubes, salt pork, a ham hock, or a beef bone, as desired
1 1/2 pounds joumou (pumpkin)
1 carrot
1 medium malanga (taro)
3 medium potatoes
1 onion
1 medium turnip
1 stalk celery
3 leaves of sorrel
3 cabbage leaves

1/2 cup raw macaroni

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, fresh lime juice to taste 1 clove of garlic (crushed)

1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped), Salt for taste.

Instructions

Crush the 3 cloves of garlic and parsley with a pestle, then combine with the next four ingredients to make the marinade.

Marinate the meat 1/2 hour. Put the meat, with the marinade, in a large pot and add enough water to cover the meat. Cook on low until the meat is tender.

Peel and clean the pumpkin, removing the strings and seeds. cut it into two or three pieces.

Clean or peel the vegetables cut them into uniform size pieces.

Add the pumpkin and the following eight ingredients to the meat.

Add enough water to cover the vegetables. Simmer until they are tender.

When the vegetables are tender, remove the pieces of pumpkin and mash them or puree them in a blender.

Stir 2 cups of water into the mashed pumpkin and return to the soup.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the macaroni. Boil, stirring occasionally, until the macaroni is tender.

Tchaka

Ingredients

4 cups crushed corn 2 cups kidney beans

A leg of pork 
6 crabs
1 / 2 pound of pork or beef Yam, malanga 
1 clove garlic Parsley 
2 leeks
6 cloves
3 green chillies 
2 bell peppers (green or red) 
2 tablespoons butter
1 / 2 cup oil 
3 cubes of maggy
1 / 2 pound of lard/bacon

Instructions

Preparation boil corn and peas for 30 to 45 minutes over high heat, adding water each time. Wash and marinate meat and crab, let stand 5 to 10 minutes. 

Cook a little meat, adding each time Peel roots and move quickly in boiling salted water. water. Insert the meat in the corn and boil for 20 minutes on medium heat and add seasonings to taste.  

Goat Stew

Ingredients


1 lb goat meat (with bones attached)
Whole Goat Head and tripes
2 tbsp seasoned salt
6 limes cut in half
3 small sweet potatoes
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga
1 green pepper, sliced
3 carrots
2 onions-sliced
spinach or watercress
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
2 cube chicken bouillion
Dumplings
salt, black pepper, and hot pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Place a pot of water on the stove with 2 limes cut in halves, parsley and salt.
2. Clean the meat with hot water, limes and sour orange and wash it several times under cold water.
3. When the water boils and water turn green with the parsley, add the goat in the water off the stove and drain.  Rinse the goat once again with cold water it should remove all the strong smell of the goat.
4. Season the meat scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside and set aside for 1-2 hours.
5. Place the meat in a stockpot with about one cup of water on medium heat and allow the meat to cook in its own juice.
6. Meanwhile wash and peel all the vegetables and cut the carrots into chunks as well as the yam.  The potatoes and sweet potatoes should stay whole. All the other vegetables should be cut to chunk sizes.
7. When meat is tender and all the water has evaporated, add 2-1/2 quarts of warm water in the pot and all the vegetables except the potato, sweet potato, carrot and watercress and let boil.
8. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, butter and water to create a soft dough.
9. When the vegetables are half way cooked add chicken bouillion, bouquet garni, crushed garlic, all the potatoes, carrots and spinach or watercress.  Tomato paste that has been diluted with some the soup liquid, the scotch bonnet pepper and lastly the dumplings. by cutting the dough into small pieces and roll each pieces between your two hands and add them to the boiling mixture.
10. carefully stirr the soup to avoid the vegetables and the dumplings from being stuck to the bottom.
11. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes more until it tickens to the consistancy of a soup and the soup is ready to be served. 

Consomme

Ingredients

1 lb stew meat beef 

2 tbsp seasoned salt
2 limes cut in half
3 small sweet potatoes
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga
1 green pepper, sliced
3 carrots
2 onions-sliced
spinach or watercress
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
2 cube chicken bouillion
Dumplings
salt, black pepper, and hot pepper to taste

For Dumplings
Flour
Butter
water
salt

Instructions

1. Clean the meat with hot water, lemon; season the meat scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Place the meat in a stockpot with about one cup of water on medium heat and allow the meat to cook in its own juice.
3. Meanwhile wash and peel all the vegetables and cut the carrots into chunks as well as the yam.  The potatoes and sweet potatoes should stay whole. All the other vegetables should be cut to chunk sizes.
4. When meat is tender and all the water has evaporated, add 2-1/2 quarts of warm water in the pot and all the vegetables except the potato, sweet potato, carrot and watercress and let boil.
5. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, butter and water to create a soft dough.
6. When the vegetables are half way cooked add chicken bouillion, bouquet garni, crushed garlic, all the potatoes, carrots and spinach or watercress.  Tomato paste that has been diluted with some the soup liquid, the scotch bonnet pepper and lastly the dumplings. by cutting the dough into small pieces and roll each pieces between your two hands and add them to the boiling mixture.
7. carefully stirr the soup to avoid the vegetables and the dumplings from being stuck to the bottom.
8. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes more until it tickens to the consistancy of a soup and the soup is ready to be served. 

Bread Soup

Ingredients

1 lb meat (beef with bones attached)
1/2  loaf of day old bread
a handful of spaghetti
3 tablespoon of olive oil

2 tbsp seasoned salt
2 limes cut in half
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga
1 green pepper, sliced
3 carrots
2 onions-sliced
spinach or watercress
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
3 Tbs. tomato paste
2 cube chicken bouillion
salt, black pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the meat with hot water, lemon; season the meat scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. Cut the bread into small pieces and soak in water.
3. Place the meat in a stockpot with about one cup of water on medium heat and allow the meat to cook in its own juice.
4. wash and peel all the vegetables and cut the carrots into chunks as well as the yam.  
5. When meat is tender and all the water has evaporated, add 2-1/2 quarts of warm water in the pot and all the vegetables,bread, carrot, vegetables and let boil.
6. after 20 minutes, stirr vigorously the soup to break the bread without crushing the vegetables.
7. When the vegetables are half way cooked add chicken bouillion, bouquet garni, tomato paste that has been diluted with some the soup liquid, the scotch bonnet pepper. 
8. carefully stirr the soup to avoid the vegetables from being stuck to the bottom.
9. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes more  to the consistancy of a soup and the soup is ready to be served with a slice of lime on the side. 

BLACK BEAN SOUP

Ingredients

1 pound dried black beans 

Water 

1 lb of stew meat with bone in (beef or pork)

      3 Table spoon of Olive oil

      2 Onions, finely chopped 

      Green or red bell pepper, finely chopped

      5 cloves of garlic, minced

      Stock or water 

     Bay leaf 

1 lb goat meat (with bones attached)
2 limes cut in half
2 small sweet potatoes
1 yam
1 plantain
1 spinach
3 potatoes
3 small malanga
1 green pepper, sliced
2 onions-sliced
spinach 
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
¼ cup scallions
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
2 cube chicken bouillion
Dumplings
salt, black pepper

Instructions

1.    Soak the beans overnight in enough water to cover by a few inches. Drain and rinse.

2.    Clean the meat lime and water and season the meat and set aside for 1-2 hours.

3.    Heat the oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add the onions and peppers and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes more.

4.   Add the 6 cups of stock or water, the drained beans, bouquet garni. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to and simmer for 1 hour

5.  Uncover the pot and add the meat and all the other ingredients and let simmer for another hour until the beans are cooked through and softened.

4.   Remove from heat, scoop out 1 quater of beans and blend it into a blender and add it back into the pot and stir in salt and pepper to taste and place back into the stove and add the dumpling and allow it to cook for another 15 minutes until liquid thickens a bit.   Adjust seasoning and serve.

SOUPE PECHEUR

Ingredients

4 red snappers
250 g of mussels
250 g of clams
8 frozen shrimps
2 tbsp seasoned salt
2 limes cut in half
6 potatoes cut into chunks
1 green pepper, sliced
4 carrots diced
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions-sliced
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp parsley
2 scallion
garlic
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
3 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cube chicken bouillion
salt, black pepper

Instructions

1. Clean the seafood with cold water and  lime; season the meat scallion, parsley, thym, garlic, chicken bouillon, black pepper and salt that you have crushed in a pestle and the juice of two limes and set aside and set aside for 1-2 hours.
2. In a stockpot, bring water to boil and add all the vegetables.  After 15 minutes of boiling add the seafood and lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. 
3. Remove the fish from the soup debone and set aside.
4. Blend the cornstarch with one-half cup water and stir into the soup.
5. Bring the soup to a boil and cook until it thickens.  Adjust seasonings
6. Meanwhile prepare the dumplings by mixing the flour, salt, butter and water to create a soft dough.
7. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and serve. 

CONCH STEW

Ingredients

1 lb. conch, ground
1 medium chopped onion
½ cups carrots, diced
¾ cups celery, chopped
1 clove garlic minced
5 cups water
3 Tbs. tomato paste
½ cup onions, chopped
2 cups potatoes, peeled, diced
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
salt, black pepper, and hot pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat oil and cook the onion, celery and garlic in oil for 5 minutes

Add conch and cook another 10 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients except carrots and potatoes and cook for 30 minutes

Add potatoes and carrots and cook for 20 additional minutes

Conch Soup

conch 4 medium, pounded and chopped 2 onions, chopped 1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste
juice of 3 lemons
2 cans (28 oz. ea.) tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and chunked
4 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
4 Carrots, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups water
1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
2 cups sliced okra
2 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. parsley

In a large kettle, saute onions in oil until translucent. Add salt and pepper. Add lemon juice, tomatoes and conch and increase heat. Add vegetables and rest of ingredients. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours. Remove bay leaves and serve.

Consomme 2

Ingredients: 

6 small crabs
1 pound beef cut into pieces with bones
1 package of spinach
4 plantains
4 pieces of yam
watercress parsley
sorrel
1 package of celery
salt
oil

Instructions: 

Clean, season and cook crabs. Prepare apart the beef, season it and let cook. Boil the other ingredients.

Add last crabs and cooked meat.

 Adjust seasoning if necessary. Add spice at will.

Exotic Curry Conch Chowder

8 conchs
1 lg. onion
1/2 c. cream

4 tomatoes (or pt. stewed- tomatoes)
2 tsp. curry powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sugar
1 pinch thyme
2 tbsp. butter
1 sm. can tomato paste

Directions: 

Grind the conch and boil until tender in water. Fry onion in frying pan with butter until cooked (not brown). 

Add leaves, thyme. Work curry powder into cream. Add onion to cream, add tomatoes, curry powder and cream to sugar. 

Also add tomato paste. Simmer 1/2 hour and serve in soup bowls. Add 1 teaspoon of sherry in each serving. Serves 6.

This is a typical CONCH SOUP 

1 pound of conch

2 shredded coconuts
3 green bananas
2 carrots
2 pounds of yucca - it is better if you use yellow yucca
2 garlic teeth
2 large onions - yellow or white
2 green peppers
2 bouillon cubes
1/2 cup of coriander - small leaf
1/2 cup of coriander - broad leaf
1/8 cup of margarine
1 cup of coconut milk

Directions: 

Cut up the onions, garlic, green peppers. Peel and cube all vegetables (except the bananas) and fast fry them in the margarine. Add the bouillon cubes and the coriander. 

Liquefy together the meat and the milk of the coconuts, sift the mixture - you may need to add some water to get it all out. Should end with approximately 3/4 liter of coconut milk. 

Add this to the fast fried vegetables, let it simmer around 15 to 20 minutes. Add the bananas and simmer for another 7 minutes or until the bananas are soft. Add the conch, peeled, and cut in small pieces; let it simmer for five more minutes.