Ring in the New Year with Freedom Soup: Recipe
PHILADELPHIA - Need a new idea for your New Year's menu? How about trying some Haitian cuisine to kick off 2020?
Author Tami Charles joined Good Day to discuss "Freedom Soup" — a traditional dish that Haitan families usally eat to celebrate a new year.
The dish has such a rich history that Tami Charles wrote a children's book to detail its importance.
From: Tami Charles
Here's what you'll need to do to make your very on Freedom Soup for the New Year.
Begin by making the epis, which is a common marinade used in many Haitian dishes.
Ingredients:
3 scallions
3 garlic bulbs
2 peppers (red & green)
5 sprigs of thyme
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of parsley
2 celery stalks
¼ cup of olive oil
½ cup of lime juice
1 teaspoon of vinegar
Epis Directions:
Blend all of the ingredients in a blender, or mash them using a pilón (mortar and pestle).
Pour over the meat you will use for the soup.
Marinate for up to 24 hours.
Soup Ingredients:
2 pounds of your preferred meat (marinated in epis)
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups stock (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
2 packages, frozen butternut squash
1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon, dried thyme
2 tablespoons, chopped parsley
2 tablespoons, chopped cilantro
1 large potato, peeled and cut
2 carrots, cut into 1 ½" pieces
2 stalks celery, cut
1/2 small green cabbage, cored and cut
1 handful of spaghetti, broken in half (or preferred pasta)
Directions:
In a large soup pot, brown the meat in the olive oil.
Add stock, scotch bonnet pepper, and squash. Boil until the meat reaches your desired level of tenderness.
Add the thyme, parsley, cilantro, and potato to the pot. Continue boiling for approximately 15 minutes.
Add the remaining vegetables, reduce heat, and simmer approximately 25 minutes, or until tender.
Stir occasionally until soup thickens. Add pasta and cook according to package directions.
Don’t forget to remove the scotch bonnet pepper!
Add salt and pepper to taste.
