Trini Corn Soup ~ Recipe

I made this corn soup a week ago and it was a big hit.... you should try it at home! Great for the winter months especially, but you can eat it all year round like they do in Trinidad. It is a traditional street food there. ENJOY!

TRINI CORN SOUP



2 tbs vegetable oil


2 onions, chopped


3 cloves garlic, minced


1 lb smoked bones (optional) (I omited them)


1 lb English potatoes, peeled and quartered


2 carrots, diced


1/3 cup chopped chives


1/4 cup chopped celery


1/3 cup fresh thyme, chopped


2 pimento peppers, chopped and seeded


3/4 cup yellow split peas, washed and picked over


8 cups beef stock or vegetable stock


6 ears corn, cut into two-inch pieces


1 hot pepper such as Habanero or Scotch Bonnet


1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)


1/2 cup chopped Chadon Beni or cilantro



Cooking Method:


Heat oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.

Add onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add smoked bones, potatoes, carrots, chives, celery, thyme and pimento peppers.

Cook for about five minutes more. Add split peas and broth, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil. Add hot pepper and coconut milk.

Cover and simmer for about one hour until peas are soft.

Puree soup to a thick and creamy consistency and return to pot.

Add corn and dumplings and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until cooked and dumplings float to the surface.

Add chadon beni. Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasonings. If soup seems too thick you can add a little water. Serves six to eight.



DUMPLINGS


2 cups flour


1 tsp butter


2 tsp baking powder


1/2 tsp salt

Try it!

Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub butter into flour until mixture is grainy. Slowly add all water and knead to a stiff dough. Cover and let rest for about 30 minutes. Divide dumpling dough into two pieces. Roll each piece into a long rope about 12 inches long. Cut into two-inch lengths and drop into boiling soup. Serves six to eight.