Ilka's Trinidad Corn Soup

Ingredients

1 lb salted pig tail {substitute with pieces of ham, bacon or Kassler ( this is a smoked pok chop without the bone)}
2 cans of cream style corn

about 6 fresh or frozen corn on the cob, cut into 1 inch ( 2.5 cm) pieces

1 lb yellow split peas

salt, pepper to taste

a fresh hot Trinidad pepper or pepper sauce as substitute

chicken stock, either feshly made or made with bouillon cubes

2 sweet peppers, cut small

3 tomatoes, chopped up

celery, cut up

chive, cut up

onion, cut up

garlic cloves, chopped fine

several leaves chadon bene, cut small
( coriander leaves as substitute)

a little butter, or margarine to sauté vegetables

 

Method

1) Parboil pigtail for 10 min. to get excess salt out (not necessary if using substitutes)

2) In a large soup pot ( or pressure cooker), sauté onion, chive, garlic, celery, sweet peppers and chadon beni for a few minutes

3) Add washed splitpeas, cans of cream style corn, corn on the cob, tomatoes, stock, salt, pepper to taste

4) Add pigtail or its substitute and boil until corn on the cob is soft and the splitpeas have completely dissolved; this may take several hours, less if you use a pressure cooker

5) Make dumplings and add to soup about 20 mins before soup is finished cooking

6) When soup is almost finished , float hot pepper on top of soup, or add pepper sauce to taste when soup is finished cooking.

If you burst the hot pepper in the soup, the soup might get a very hot taste, it is up to you how spicy you like it
 


 

Dumplings
Ingredients

Flour
Salt- a little to taste

Sugar- a little

butter or margarine

a little baking powder ( 1 teasp )


Method

Mix these ingredients and add water to them until dough is smooth and not sticky, then roll balls from it. Flatten those balls into round cakes and boil the dumplings in rapidly boiling salted water for about 15 mins.
 

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Sancoche

Ingredients:

1 lb salted pigtail, cut into 1.5 inch pieces
1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1.5 inch pieces

1/2 lb dried split peas

2 large chopped onions

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 sprigs of thyme

3 cups coconut milk

Ground provisions, e.g. potatoes, cassava root, dasheen root, eddoes, yam - peeled and cut into 1.5 inch pieces

green figs ( green bananas ), peeled and cut into 1.5 inch pieces

1 whole hot pepper

2 pints of water

1 cube beef bouillon

salt, black pepper to taste

 

Method

1) Parboil the pigtail pieces for about 15 minutes to get rid of the excess salt, otherwise your soup will turn out too salty

2) In a large pot, place beef cubes and pigtail and cover with water

3) Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and cook for 1 hour

4) Add split peas, chopped onion, celery ,thyme, coconut milk, salt and black pepper, bouillon cube and continue to cook until split peas are dissolved

5) Add all ground provisions and the whole hot pepper ( do not burst, or soup will taste too hot). Add enough water to cover ingredients and cook for another 30 mins. Prepare dumplings and add to souplast 15-20 mins.
 

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Fish Chowder

Ingredients:

1/4 lb salt meat ( optional)
3 small onions

3 lb fresh fish

1/4 teasp pepper

thyme to taste, fresh or dried

chive, cut up small for garnishing

paprika powder for garnishing

6 potatoes, sliced

3 cups milk

 salt to taste

chadon beni- cut ver fine- to taste ( cilantro)

1 tablesp flour to thicken soup

 

Method

1) Saute salt meat - remove meat from pot and add onion- Saute onion untmargarineil transparent- If no salt meat is used, saute onion in a little vegetable oil

2) Clean fish and  remove bones- cut into  small pieces, season with pepper, salt , chadon beni and thyme and add to the onion, together with  sliced potatoes and salt meat- if used

3) Cover with boiling water and simmer until potatoes are tender- about 30 mins

4) Add milk and heat through- Take out a little of the hot soup and mix with the flour in a cup. then add to soup, stirring constantly so as not to form any lumps

5) Sprinkle a little paprika powder on to to garnish and top with cut up chive

N.B. You can add other seafood to this soup  such as shrimp etc.

You can make small dumplings and add to the soup 20 mins before the end of cooking

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Yellow  Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 lb smoked ham hocks
1 lb dried yellow split peas, cleaned

3 slices fresh ginger root, cleaned

3 cloves garlic, minced

12 cups water or  stock

3 carrots, grated

1 large onion, chopped

2 tesps turmeric powder

 1 1/2 teasps chili powder

1 small piece fresh hot pepper

1 tablespn Trinidad Rum

1 1/2 tablesp chopped chadon beni ( cilantro)

Method

1) Combine first 5 ingredients in soup pot and simer for one hour
2) Stir in carrots,onion, turmeric, chili and hot pepper- simmer for another 30 mins

3) Remove ham hocks, cut meat from the bone; cut meat into small pieces and return to pot

4) Add rum and chadon beni and simmer for another 30 mins.

5) Discard ginger pieces before serving.

 

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CRAB MEAT CALLALOO SOUP

Ingredients:

2 tablesp. butter
1 med. onion, diced

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 clove garlic, minced

4 cups chicken stock

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 lb. smoked ham or  1 sm. ham hock

1 1/2 cups washed, coarsely chopped,firmly packed callaloo or spinach leaves

1 cup sliced okra

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teasp. freshly ground black pepper

1 congo pepper or Habanero, seeds removed, minced

1 pound cooked crab meat, chopped

1 tablesp. butter (optional)

Salt, to taste

Method:

1) In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the 2 tablesp.butter.2) Add the onion, celery and garlic; saute for 2-3 mins.

3) Add the stock, coconut milk and ham and bring to a boil. Add the callaloo, okra, thyme, ground pepper and congo pepper.

4) Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally,until the callaloo is thoroughly cooked (about 50 mins).

5) Whisk the soup until very smooth or puree it in small batches in a blender. Add the crab meat and heat thoroughly.
 

Add the 1 tablesp. butter (if desired), swizzle over the top and taste
for salt.

 

Serve hot.  Makes 8-10 servings.

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Marsha's Fish Broth
 

Fish (whole or pieces)
potatoes

green bananas

carrots

macaroni

onion

tomatoes

cooking butter

garlic, salt, black pepper, hot pepper, lime juice

chive and thyme, cilantro (optional)

 

1. Clean and season fish with garlic, black pepper, lime juice, chive,thyme

2. Peel vegetables and cut into bite sized pieces.

3. Boil vegetables in enough water to cover. Let the habanero pepper float on top, don't  let it burst!

4. When vegetables are half-cooked, add macaroni and when almost finished, add fish and butter to taste.

5. Add water to make desired broth

6. Season to taste with salt, chopped cilantro and lime juice.

Server hot.

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OXTAIL SOUP

Ingredients:

2 lb lean oxtails, jointed

½ lb pres soaked dry beans, split peas or lentils
2 small onions

salt to taste

2 or 3 medium carrots

½ bunch chives

2sprigs thyme

1 whole hot pepper (scotch bonnet )

2 or 3 cloves garlic

 

1. In a large saucepan put meat, carrots, soaked peas or beans with water to cover ingredients.

2. Cook until meat and beans or peas are tender.

3. Skim off fat and add more water to make required quantity of soup.

4. Add all ingredients and simmer until soup has a mellow taste.

5. Remove hot pepper before it bursts. Discard pepper or eat it on the side if you dare!

6. Correct seasoning and if desired, add sherry before serving hot.

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Marsha's Thai seafood soup

1 packet Miso soup powder (or pre-made)
Water (use amount suggested for Miso soup)

1 small pre packaged seaweed salad (if available)

1 lemon, juiced

crushed hot peppers to taste

a small amount of the following: 

shrimp
scallops

mussels

clams

oysters

squid

or any other seafood you like

 

Method:

Since the Miso soup already has the Thai flavour, you don't have to do much. 
Prepare the Miso as the package suggest. 

Clean and cut up your seafood acording to the size you like it.

Add all ingredients to the soup and bring to a boil and cook for a few minutes until seafood is cooked.

Serve hot.
 

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copyright © Ilka Hilton Clarke - all rights reserved. -Last updated: December 6, 2015