Down on the Allotment

Matron grows vegetables and fruit in a Hampshire garden. I've been growing veggies since I was knee high to a grasshopper. Some traditional varieties and old favourites as well as new ideas. I share my garden with my allotment assistant Daisy the Labrador. On Twitter as @MatronsVeggies

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Ruth's Pumpkin Soup

So you have too much pumpkin and you don't know what to do with it all? Well, you might like to try making a traditional West Indian pumpkin soup which is made all over the Caribbean and is known universally as 'Saturday Soup' at this point I must give thanks to DaVikka for looking after my chillis while I was on holiday. Apparently she prayed every day that they might live! - or perhaps that if they did die... they would come back to life again!! This is actually more like a stew, and I would make it in the slow cooker and leave all the flavours to meld together. You will need:
2lbs pumpkin (diced), 1 scotch bonnet chilli (leave whole DO NOT CHOP), 3 spring onions chopped, 2 garlic cloves chopped, 1tsp dried thyme, 2 carrots, 3 sweet potatoes, 3 potatoes, 1 plantain.
Chop all the veggies (except the chilli...don't chop the chilli) and cover with water. You can season the water with salt and black pepper, and either a Maggi stock cube or preferably try to locate a packet of authentic Jamaican pumpkin soup mix or cock soup mix (yes, that's cock soup). Towards the end of the cooking you can make the 'dumplings' which go into the soup. These are ribbons of dough about 3" long made with plain flour and water, they will thicken the soup.

I just love these homely, authentic dishes that warm the cockles of your heart. At this point I must also thank Ruth, for inspiration. She must be OK because Buddy likes her too! xxx

11 Comments:

At 7:35 PM, Blogger Kath said...

That sounds like a whole meal of a soup! I'd be tempted to throw in some black beans too.

 
At 9:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

We only use pumpkins for decorations. I guess sweet potatoes are so much easier to deal with. You can feed a village with a pumpkin or store enough for the whole winter.

 
At 1:17 AM, Blogger Tira said...

He he, good ole West Indian veggie soup! Yes, that was a meal for many in times of old, and esp when one was sick with the flu! My mom, like others, used to add things like colocasia, tannia, green bananas, or broken long macaroni-depending on what you have o hand. I do my dumplings with cornmeal. Some people also do coconut dumplings!

 
At 12:31 AM, Blogger WeekendFarmer said...

floating hotel in Dubai : ) ??? really! Did you travel on a cruise.

 
At 8:20 AM, Blogger Matron said...

weekend farmer - yes, I've recently come back from cruising on the QE2 to New England. Sadly she is about to make her last trip to Dubai where she is to become a floating hotel. They are going to cut off her funnell and do all sorts of unspeakable things to her. It really is too sad.

 
At 10:26 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have a great deal of sympathy for Davikka because many years ago I was asked to look after my neighbour's greenhouse while he went on holiday. When he was away all the flowers kept falling off the begonias. When he came back he said don't worry they always do that.

 
At 6:22 PM, Blogger Dan said...

That is one happy looking pepper plant. It almost looks like Chinese Lanterns.

 
At 10:03 PM, Blogger The Allotment Blogger said...

I'd forgotten this soup, which I used to get at a friend's house, with the green bananas in, as Nicole said - really tasty and incredibly filling! And cock soup mix isn't as bad as it sounds ... it's just chicken stock with added testosterone.

 
At 3:07 AM, Blogger Ottawa Gardener said...

That sounds delicious and nice followup! I have lots of fatali peppers and butternut squash. That'll do right?

 
At 8:52 PM, Blogger Rob said...

Hi Matron, Are you sure its Ruth Buddy likes - or is it the chocolate bar in her hand?! Bob.

 
At 5:42 PM, Blogger Matron said...

Bob - it looks like a caramel wafer to me! but you're probably right.

 

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