In Antigua, it's listed on the menu as Bull Foot Soup. Wherever it is prepared, and however named, it is a soup of resourcefulness. With a few basic ingredients - the bony cowheel cut into sections, split peas and strong seasonings - the variations are endless. Potatoes, green fig, cassava, or other ground provision (dasheen, eddoes or cush cush) give the soup heft. Pumpkin, carrots, ochroes, celery are some of the vegetables to use, but you may use kernels of corn. You can be inventive with what's in your refrigerator.
Cowheel, cleaned and cut in sections, 2 lb
Yellow split peas, 1-2 cups
Ginger, toe sized piece, squashed
Garlic, 2-3 cloves crushed
Pumpkin, 1 lb, cubed
Carrot, two, sliced
Celery, one stalk, sliced
Pimentos, 2-3, sliced
Thyme, sprig
Ochroes, 10- 12 whole, stem end removed
Sweet potato, one large, peeled and cut in one inch slices or cubes
Salt to taste
Hot pepper, whole
Boil cowheel in water to cover for 10 minutes. Cool, drain and cut out any fatty lumps. Put the bony pieces back into a pressure cooker with water to cover and ginger. Seal pressure cooker and bring to boil at high heat, reduce to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool before opening the pot.
In another pot, at medium to high heat, boil the split peas in water to cover, skimming off any foam that surfaces. Continue to boil at medium heat, adding water as necessary, until the peas are soft.
When the pressure cooker is cool, open the pot and return to heat. Add water if necessary. Bring the soup to slow boil. Add carrot, celery, pumpkin, garlic, pimentos, and half teaspoon salt.When the carrots are cooked, add sweet potato, thyme and ochroes. When the ochroes have turned colour, add hot pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
If you wish to add dumplings, you can make cornmeal dumplings. Mix half to three-quarter cup of cornmeal with milk until the mixture hold together. Drop lumps or finger lengths into the soup in the last ten minutes of cooking.
The more starchy vegetables you add, the more filling this soup will be.
This soup used yellow sweet potato, which is a nice contrast to the salty, peppery flavours. Ripe plantains also add a sweetness. The split peas melt into the broth thickening it. If you have to reheat, use very slow heat and stir so it doesn't burn on the bottom; or put your bowl of soup into the microwave oven.
Cowheel, cleaned and cut in sections, 2 lb
Yellow split peas, 1-2 cups
Ginger, toe sized piece, squashed
Garlic, 2-3 cloves crushed
Pumpkin, 1 lb, cubed
Carrot, two, sliced
Celery, one stalk, sliced
Pimentos, 2-3, sliced
Thyme, sprig
Ochroes, 10- 12 whole, stem end removed
Sweet potato, one large, peeled and cut in one inch slices or cubes
Salt to taste
Hot pepper, whole
Boil cowheel in water to cover for 10 minutes. Cool, drain and cut out any fatty lumps. Put the bony pieces back into a pressure cooker with water to cover and ginger. Seal pressure cooker and bring to boil at high heat, reduce to medium and cook for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool before opening the pot.
In another pot, at medium to high heat, boil the split peas in water to cover, skimming off any foam that surfaces. Continue to boil at medium heat, adding water as necessary, until the peas are soft.
When the pressure cooker is cool, open the pot and return to heat. Add water if necessary. Bring the soup to slow boil. Add carrot, celery, pumpkin, garlic, pimentos, and half teaspoon salt.When the carrots are cooked, add sweet potato, thyme and ochroes. When the ochroes have turned colour, add hot pepper. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
If you wish to add dumplings, you can make cornmeal dumplings. Mix half to three-quarter cup of cornmeal with milk until the mixture hold together. Drop lumps or finger lengths into the soup in the last ten minutes of cooking.
The more starchy vegetables you add, the more filling this soup will be.
UHHH! I could taste the sweet and salt and peppery,......looks delicious. Unfortunately, we don't get cowheel here in Italy. We get alot of pig's feet, I could probably try it with that.
ReplyDeleteLovely photo!!!