Warming the Heart: Montserrat’s Comforting Soup Recipes

In some Caribbean homes, Saturday is the one day of the week when soup is the main meal. However, we don’t subscribe to soup being only for Saturdays and believe you should enjoy a hearty bowl whenever your heart and tummy requires it.

Here are our favourite recipes for chicken soup, pigtail soup and vegetable soup.

Chicken Soup: The Ultimate Comfort Food

“When I make soup, I use the leftover chicken from Sunday dinner or some other meal to make the chicken soup. I prefer to use the back of a whole chicken for soup over any other part of the chicken.” – Nerissa Golden, Editor.

Ingredients:
– 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
– 2 carrots, sliced
– 2 stalks celery, chopped
– 1 large onion, diced
– 4 cloves garlic, minced
– 2 potatoes, diced
– 1 sweet potato, diced
– 2 green bananas, sliced into rounds
– 1 cup pumpkin, cubed
– Thyme, scallion, and parsley to taste
– Salt and pepper to taste
– 1 scotch bonnet pepper (optional)
– Water or chicken broth
– Dumplings (flour, water, and a pinch of salt)

“If you’ve got Maggie soup packs then this will add a lot of the flavour, salt, and some noodles. However, if you don’t want to use a soup pack then saute your onions, celery, and garlic in a teaspoon of oil or butter to awaken the flavours for your soup.” – Nerissa Golden, Editor

Method:
1. In a large pot, combine the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and enough water or chicken broth to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is tender.
2. Add the potatoes, sweet potato, green bananas, and pumpkin to the pot. Season with thyme, scallion, parsley, salt, and pepper. If you like it spicy, add a whole scotch bonnet pepper (do not burst it, unless you prefer a very spicy soup).
3. Prepare dumplings by mixing flour, water, and salt to form a stiff dough. Pinch off pieces and roll into small balls, then flatten slightly. Add to the soup.
4. Simmer until vegetables are tender and dumplings are cooked through. Remove the scotch bonnet pepper before serving.

Pigtail Soup: A Flavourful Twist

Ingredients:
– 2 lbs salted pigtail, soaked overnight and cut into pieces
– 1 cup red beans, soaked overnight
– 2 carrots, sliced
– 1 large onion, diced
– 3 cloves garlic, minced
– 1 sweet potato, diced
– 2 plantains, sliced into rounds
– 1 cup pumpkin, cubed
– Thyme, scallion, and parsley to taste
– Salt (if needed) and pepper to taste
– Water
– Dumplings (optional)

Method:
1. Rinse the salted pigtail pieces after soaking them overnight. Place in a large pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook until tender.
2. Add the soaked red beans to the pot and continue to cook until the beans are tender.
3. Add the carrots, onion, garlic, sweet potato, plantains, and pumpkin to the pot. Season with thyme, scallion, parsley, and pepper. Add salt only if necessary.
4. If using dumplings, add them to the soup at this stage.
5. Cook until all the vegetables are tender and the flavours meld together. Serve hot.