Recipes
Soup Joumou
This soul-warming squash and beef stew is traditionally served on Haitian Independence Day, January 1.
- Serves
6–8
- Time
2 hours 30 minutes, plus marinating
Soup joumou (pronounced “joo-moo”) is a savory pumpkin and beef stew traditionally served in Haiti on January 1, the anniversary of the country’s liberation from France. It is said that the soup was once a delicacy reserved for white masters but forbidden to the enslaved Africans who cooked—and grew the squash for—the dish. After Independence, Haitians took to eating it to celebrate the world’s first and only successful slave revolution resulting in an independent nation. This recipe comes to us from New York City-based chef Elle Philippe, who grew up making soup joumou with her mother in Port-au-Prince. It calls for calabaza (also known as Caribbean pumpkin or giraumon) or kabocha squash.
Featured in “A Haitian New Year’s Soup” by Tequila Minsky.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped parsley leaves
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
- 1 Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed and seeded
- 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. beef chuck, cut into ½-in. pieces
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 8 cups beef stock
- 2 carrots, cut into 1½-in. pieces
- 2 celery stalks, cut into 1½-in. pieces
- 1 small leek, trimmed, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1½-in. pieces
- 1 small onion, cut into 1½-in. pieces
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1½-in. pieces
- 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1½-in. pieces
- ½ small green cabbage, cored and cut into 1½-in. pieces
- ½ small calabaza or kabocha squash, cut into 1-in. pieces
- Lime wedges, for serving
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Instructions
Step 1
To a blender, add the parsley, lime juice, thyme, garlic, scallions, chile, shallot, and ½ cup of water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and mix in the beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
Step 2
Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels (discard the marinade). To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours.
Step 3
Add the carrots, celery, leek, onion, potato, turnip, and cabbage. Cook, slightly covered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Step 4
Meanwhile, to a small pot, add the squash and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid, then drain. Transfer the squash and reserved liquid to a blender and blend until smooth.
Step 5
When the vegetables are tender, stir in the squash purée and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thickened slightly, 5–10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Top with sliced scallions and serve with lime wedges on the side.
- To a blender, add the parsley, lime juice, thyme, garlic, scallions, chile, shallot, and ½ cup of water and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl, season to taste with salt and black pepper, and mix in the beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or up to 24.
- Remove the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels (discard the marinade). To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. When it’s hot and shimmering, add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours.
- Add the carrots, celery, leek, onion, potato, turnip, and cabbage. Cook, slightly covered and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to a small pot, add the squash and 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid, then drain. Transfer the squash and reserved liquid to a blender and blend until smooth.
- When the vegetables are tender, stir in the squash purée and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the soup is thickened slightly, 5–10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Top with sliced scallions and serve with lime wedges on the side.
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