For the New Year, I wrote about the Haitian tradition of eating soup joumou (pronounced joomoo)  on January 1st. New Year’s Day happens to also be Haitian Independence Day, thus making the celebration two-fold. Expat Mama had the great suggestion on posting the recipe for those of you who like to try new things.

In my family, as well as all the Haitian families I know, recipes are never written down. Up until a few years ago, I would still call my grandmother every time I was trying a more complicated Haitian dish and she would tell me from memory what to do. The good thing about many of the recipes is there is always room for improvisation. Over time, I have modified my grandmother’s recipes to make them more my own. However, soup joumou is not one of them. The recipe below is a mix of various family recipes that I have gathered which most closely resemble how I prefer to have soup joumou. It should feed four people. Feel free to ask any questions, and I’ll consult my grandmother for the answer.

Ingredients:

1 lb. cubed beef stew meat
2 boxes of frozen squash or one whole fresh one
1 malanga
2 onions-sliced
3 large carrots
6 medium potatoes
¼ lb spaghetti or noodles
2 limes cut in half
2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp parsley, 3 minced garlic cloves
½ cup scallions
salt, black pepper, and hot pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Soak the meat in hot water and lemon and set aside in a bowl
2. Add seasoning (salt, black pepper, hot pepper, garlic, parsley) and let marinate for 2 hrs – this can be done the night before, as well
3. Boil meat in stockpot with 3 quarts of water until tender (about 1 ½- 2 hrs)
4. Add more additional water if necessary and remaining ingredients (malanga, potatoes, carrots, onions, scallions, thyme, squash) except noodles
5. Cook for 20 minutes and add noodles. Let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.

And voila! The finished product should look something like the picture above.

Note: My mother has let this cook all night and it turned out fine. Traditionally, the spaghetti is not intended to be al dente, but you can cook it to your liking.

Photo courtesy of Whole Foods

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Although very loud (are you sensing a theme here), it was a spectacular show. The most impressive part is that it was not a coordinated effort, but a bunch of individuals putting on their own little demonstrations to create this splendid exhibition.

As soon as I snapped out of my fireworks-induced daze, I began thinking about making pumpkin soup the next morning. Eating pumpkin soup on January 1st, which is also Haiti’s Independence Day, is a strong tradition in Haitian households. It began with the first Independence celebration because during slavery, pumpkin soup was considered too elegant a food for slaves. In my family, it is practically considered blasphemy if you do not participate in this tradition; hence, if you stop by most Haitian homes on January 1st, pumpkin soup is being served.

What are some of your traditions for bringing in the New Year? Are they cultural, or have you created some special ones for you and/or your family?

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