Red Peas Soup
Ingredients:
- Kidney Beans - 2 cups
- Carrots - 1 large
- Spring Onions - 2 chopped
- Thyme - 4 sprigs
- Onion - 1 Diced
- Black Pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Red Pepper - 2 chopped
- Garlic Clove - 4 Mashed
- Allspice - 1 tbs
- Beef - 2 Lbs
- Water - 2L
- Potatoes - 4
- Plain Flour - 1 cup
- Water - 1/4 cup
- Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Instructions
- Wash and rinse the dried kidney beans
- then cover with water in a deep bowl
- Remember as they soak they will expand to at least triple the size they were originally so add a lot of water to the bowl
- Soak them overnight or for at least 2 hrs to make the cooking step go quicker
- I tossed out the water they were soaked in after it did the job
- Have your butcher cut the salted pigtail into 2 inch pieces as it will be very difficult to cut with an ordinary kitchen knife
- Wash, then place a deep pot with water and bring to a boil
- Cook for 20 minutes, then drain + rinse and repeat (boil again in water)
- The goal is to make the pieces of pig tails tender and to remove most of the salt it was cured in
- Time to start the soup
- Place everything in the pot (except the flour and potato), then cover with water and place on a high flame to bring to a boil
- As it comes to a boil, skim off any scum/froth at the top and discard
- Reduce the heat to a gentle boil and allow it to cook for 1 hr and 15 mins
- basically until the beans are tender and start falling apart
- It’s now time to add the potato (and Yams etc if you’re adding it) as well as the coconut milk and continue cooking for 15 minutes
- Now is a good time to start making the basic dough for the spinner dumplings
- Mix the flour and water (add a pinch of salt if you want) until you have a soft/smooth dough
- allow it to rest for 5 minutes, then pinch of a tablespoon at a time and roll between your hands to form a cigarette shape
- Add them to the pot, stir well and continue cooking for another 15 minutes on a rolling boil
- You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt to the pot as the remaining salt from the salted pigtails will be enough to properly season this dish
- However you can taste and adjust accordingly
- Lets recap the timing part of things so you’re not confused
- Cook the base of the soup for 1 hr and 15 minute or until tender, then add the potatoes and cook for 15 minutes, then add the dumplings and cook for a further 15 minutes
- Keep in mind that this soup will thicken quite a bit as it cools
- While this is not a traditional recipe to any one specific island, versions of this soup (sometimes called stewed peas) can be found throughout the Caribbean, Latin America and Africa
- A hearty bowl of this soup will surely give you the sleepies (some may call it ethnic fatigue)
- You can certainly freeze the leftovers and heat it up another day