In Good Taste (INGT) - Crab & Callaloo Soup

If you want food that feeds the soul, a bowl of Crab and Callaloo Soup can do the job. It will calm the nerves, slow you down and shut out the noise in your head. It is a soup to savour.

Thick, silky, and creamy, each spoonful slides smoothly across the tongue. If you eat it with dumplings, the chew is hearty; and the crab, well, that's the prize in the bowl. Abandon the spoon and use your hands - pick up the crab, then lick, suck, crack, and pry it open to get to the sweet crab meat.

Use the freshest ingredients to make this soup; this means using freshly squeezed coconut milk. However, if you only have access to canned coconut milk, then use it but dilute the canned coconut milk using a 1:1.5 ratio (for every cup of canned coconut milk, dilute it with 1 1/2 cups of water).

Most countries in the Caribbean have their own version of Crab Soup/Crab & Callaloo Soup. This is how I make mine.

RECIPE - Crab & Callaloo Soup

Several years ago, I started a recipe column in Stabroek News - In Good Taste. It was a recipe column, separate and apart from my other and current food column in Stabroek News, Tastes Like Home. In Good Taste ended in December 2017. I am happy to now share with you, recipes from that column, which I will be posting from time to time.

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A Fruit Soup

When it comes to fruits I prefer to eat them as is or drink them in a smoothie. Pies, tarts, and desserts made with fruits win me over too. A year ago, I made fruit soup for the first time. Depending on the recipe some fruit soups are simply pureed and chilled before serving while others are cooked for a short period of time over low heat.

This recipe (I use the word loosely) which combines papaya, cantaloupe and orange juice was pureed and then set over low heat just to melt the Demerara sugar used to sweeten the mixture. I was serving this soup as dessert. The passion fruit preserve offered a welcome tang to each spoonful, almost cleansing the palate.

To make a fruit soup, think fruit drinks and go with a combo that works for you. What I would recommend is that you include the following types of fruits - one that is heavily water based such as melons, one that can add body to the soup and help to thicken it, I find papaya and guava excellent at this, and get fruits that are highly fragrant and flavorful like pineapples, and passion fruit, all types of citrus are welcome additions. If they are local and in season, berries are a must. When in season, West Indian/Barbados Cherry are perfect.

You may need to add water to give the soup your desired consistency, and when it comes to sweetness, use sugar, simple syrup or honey. Use sugar if you plan to heat the soup; use simple syrup or honey it you are not heating the soup.

Finally, just as with savoury soups, some people like to have "obstacles" in their soups, so be sure to include chunks of fresh fruit to be spooned with the liquid, if that's the crowd you are feeding.

'Tis the season. 'Tis summer and fruits are bountiful. Cool down with fruit soups, fruit punches, pure fruit juices and fruit drinks (adult and kid-friendly), fruit popsicles and other fruity cold treats.

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Barbados @ 50 - Soup

Caribbean soups are hearty fare. Ground provisions along with a variety of meats and some type of peas/beans/lentils and dumplings complete the ingredients for a large pot of soup. Thyme is a key seasoning and flavour ingredient in these soups. In Barbados, this type of hefty soup is referred to as "blup blup soup". Blup-blup referring to the sound of the very thick soup as it bubbles in the pot.

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Barbados @ 50 - Okra Slush

In most countries in the Caribbean, there is a soup called callaloo. Callaloo soup varies in terms of the main and flavouring ingredients. Callaloo is a word that is generally used to describe dasheen/eddo leaves; it is also used as an umbrella word in some parts of the region to include all leafy variety of the green vegetable known as spinach and even pak choi. B'dos not have a callaloo soup as part of their cuisine but they do have something similar that is made with okra (okra is a key ingredient in some callallo soups). Okra Slush is okra, sliced thinly and boiled with salted beef and or salted pigtails along with herbs and aromatics to become a thick silky soup that is eaten with boiled ground provisions (tubular roots). If you like okra (like I do), then you will love this dish.

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Guyana @ 50 - Duff/Dumpling

You say dumpling, we say duff. Guyanese duff is made of a soft, slightly sweet flour dough. Once divided, each piece of dough is rolled into a thick cylindrical shape and placed on top of rice, ground provisions or soup to steam and cook. Some people also place them in a steamer to cook or boil them. I like to add a little cinnamon, and sometimes, freshly grated coconut to the mixture. So good!

Here is one of the more popular ways it is presented - in a soup.

Soup with Duff ©Cynthia Nelson

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A Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

One of my favourite shows to watch on Cooking Channel is Luke Nguyen's Vietnam. The show is about real people, making real food and revelling in the tastes and flavours of their land. I pray that one day I can visit Vietnam and eat to my heart's delight.

When I saw Luke make this soup on one of his shows, I knew that I had to try it. It's simple, the flavours are clear and it's done cooking in minutes. The broth is excellent on its own but drop some crusty bread into it, let the bread suck up the broth and then bite into the bread... careful, you may have something dripping from the side of your mouth.

If you like seafood, especially fish, be sure to give this recipe a try. I know you'll like it. Here is the original recipe made with cod and below you can find my adaptation.

Vietnamese-style Fish Soup

(Adapted from Luke's Vietnam)

INGREDIENTS

6 sprigs chinese celery (aka Guyanese celery)

5 whole green onions

4 cups fish stock or vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bird peppers, crushed

2 lbs red snapper cleaned and cut into large pieces

2 ripe tomatoes, quartered

Fish sauce to taste (substitute with salt)

Juice of 1 lime

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the stems from the celery and bruise them with the back of a knife or rolling pin and set aside. Separate the leaves and the stems.
2. Cut off the white part of the green onions and bruise lightly. Chop green parts into 2-inch pieces and set aside.
3. Add stock to a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. When the pot comes to a boil, add celery stems, garlic and pepper. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add fish to pot along with the white parts of the green onions and let cook on high heat for 4 minutes.
5. Add tomatoes, celery leaves and fish sauce or salt to taste, stir gently and continue to cook until the fish is fork tender.
6. Toss in green onions and lime juice. Stir, taste and adjust if necessary and serve immediately.

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Pumpkin & Pea Soup with Salted Pigtails

I'm back. I had a great time in Florida and got the chance to meet and chat with some wonderful folks. It is so easy at times to think that you are working in a vacuum, especially when a lot of it is online. Sure, people leave comments and you chat via the social network sites and email, but there is simply no substitution for the live human interaction when you can look at facial expressions, share a laugh and engage in a conversation in a way that is not limited by number of words to type, and, you can delve deeper into an issue in just a couple of minutes. Of course there is that amazing feeling when you just "click" with someone like you've been friends all your life. Those are some of the encounters I had last weekend. Thanks! An added bonus is that all the books that were taken to the two events were sold out. Thanks to The Bishops' High School Alumni Association, (Florida) Chapter and to The South Regional Broward College Library!

As soon as I download the photographs, I'll share them with you.

On to this season's best - again. Yep, pumpkin is still very much in season in many parts of the world. For those of you up North - Calabaza Squash. Butternut squash is a good substitute for this recipe though you may not get the richness of the colour and the natural sweetness.

Rather than using regular salt, I used salted pigtails to season this soup. It adds a lovely flavour with its cured porky-ness :) Of course if you cannot put your hands on salted pigtails then try some thick-cut pieces of bacon or pancetta.

Often when people make pumpkin soup they tend to put in heavy cream to give it body and creaminess but I urge you to try putting split peas, red lentils or split yellow moong dal instead. The combination of the pumpkin, peas and cured pork will have you going back for more. If you are serving this to company, make a large amount. Having some crusty bread on hand is not a bad idea either. Click here for the recipe.

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Cow-heel Soup

Here's the final soup in my hearty Caribbean soup series - Cow-heel Soup. Rich, thick and totally satisfying. Get the recipe here.

If you are living in Guyana and read this blog or have relatives and friends there. Please share with them the following information:

• I am going to be signing books at Austin's Book Services on Saturday, Feb 19 from 10.30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• On Sunday, Feb 20 at Herdmanston Lodge there will be a book launch/breakfast starting at 10 a.m.

I'll try to take as many photographs as I can to share with you all.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Show Me The Soup!

I know that it is very cold where many of you that read this blog live and I know that any one of these soups will warm you up good and proper. If you are in the tropics like I am, well, let's just say that the soups will lighten your eating in a fulfilling way.

This week, rather than just tell you about the soups over at About.com, I thought that I'd show it to you... entice you... Tuty, I did this post just for you. (smile)

Click on the links beneath the each photograph for the recipe.

TRIPE SOUP

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

HAM & SPLIT PEA SOUP

BEEF SOUP

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Red Lentil Kofta(s)

Always in search of new ways to use familiar ingredients, I was delighted to discover Red Lentil Kofta, which according to my friend, Burcu, is one of the most popular appetizers of Turkish cuisine.

When shopping, I pick up at least 4 packets of red lentils because they cook up so easily and quickly and I can make a lot the things with them. For example, one of my favourites is red lentils cooked with rice, we call it split pea and rice. You can make dhal, phulourie (split pea fritter), soups etc. What I like most of all is that no overnight soaking is necessary!

The traditional Red Lentil Kofta recipe calls for red lentils and bulgur wheat but I rarely have bulgur wheat in my pantry, so instead, I used couscous and it turned out great.

INGREDIENTS

Yield: 14 - 16

1 cup red lentils (masoor dal)

2 cups water

1/2 cup couscous

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/3 cup canola oil, plus more if needed

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 cup finely minced onion

1 tablespoon finely minced garlic

Minced hot pepper to taste

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, divided equally

1 heaped teaspoon ground cumin

2 stalks green onions thinly sliced (white & green parts)

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and drain lentils. Add to a sauce pot with water and bring to a boil until the lentils are cooked and most of the water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and add couscous, salt, and lemon juice and stir to mix. Cover and set aside.
2. Add oil to a pan and place on medium low heat. Add tomato paste and let saute for 1 minute then add onions, garlic, hot pepper, half of the cilantro and cumin. Let saute on low heat until everything is softened. You do not want the mixture to develop a colour other than what is there naturally.
3. Remove sauteed aromatics from heat and stir in green onions and remaining cilantro.
4. Add sauteed mixture to the lentils and couscous and mix well to incorporate.
5. Take about 3 - 4 tablespoons of the mixture at a time, and form into koftas - form into a ball and then gently roll lengthways.
6. Serve as is or wrapped in lettuce leaves.

The soup series on About.com continues... this week, check out on twist to a traditional Chicken Noodle Soup. Be warned, this is not your mama's chicken noodle soup :)

Have a productive week everyone!

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Two Breakfast Potatoes

It's a new year but that does not mean that we do not continue to struggle with old issues. In my case, the all-important meal of breakfast. Staying resolute on the savoury side of things, I share with you two recipes for potatoes that can be served for breakfast. In fact, in some countries in the Caribbean, the fried (sauteed) potatoes makes a regular appearance at breakfast and is usually eaten with Caribbean Paratha Roti.

These fried potatoes are not only made for breakfast but also for lunch and dinner. When made for lunch, it is eaten with rice and some pepper sauce or some sort of pickle.

Fried (Sauteed) Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup sliced onions

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 large potatoes, sliced thinly (Yukon Gold or Russet)

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup chopped cilantro (coriander), divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a pan (cast iron works great).
2. Add onions and saute until translucent.
3. Toss in garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let cook for 1 minute.
4. Add potatoes, along with half of the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toss to mix, cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let cook covered for 20 minutes.
5. Raise heat to high, remove the cover and gently toss potatoes. Sprinkle the remaining cilantro and let cook for another 5 minutes until the bottom starts to caramelize and any liquid gathered, evaporates.
6. Serve with rice, roti, bread or bakes.

This second recipe requires a quick parboil of the potatoes and pan-roasting right on the stove top. Come on, it's breakfast and I want it quick. I don't have time to preheat the oven. I threw in some green onions for a little mild herb flavour. You can use any herbs of your choice. Use a pinch of spice if you like - cumin works great or some garam masala.

Pan-Roasted Breakfast Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

Water

Salt to taste

2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (use a potato of your choice)

2 tablespoons oil

Ground black pepper to taste

2 stalks green onions thinly sliced, white and green parts

DIRECTIONS

1. Add water to a medium sauce pot, cover and bring to a boil. When the water comes to a boil. Salt the water.
2. Add diced potatoes and let cook for 2 - 3 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
3. Meanwhile, heat oil in cast iron skillet until very hot but not smoking
4. Toss in potatoes and spread out in an even layer. Sprinkle with black pepper. Reduce heat to medium and let cook for 5 - 6 minutes.
5. Sprinkle green onions over potatoes and toss and let cook for a further 3 - 4 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately.

These never made it to the table, I stood at the kitchen counter nibbling while my tea was steeping.

Effective from this week, on About.Com, I'm presenting you with some hearty soups to warm you up this cold winter. For those of you enjoying the tropics, it's a change of pace from all the holiday foods. Today, we start with Beef Soup - made hearty with sweet potatoes, ripe plantains, pumpkin and dumplings.

Happy Weekend!

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Meat + Rice + Spices = Tatbileh

Like many of you, I buy and eat the same things every week, particularly when I am busy. The familiar is quick and easy to prepare because we can make it with our eyes closed. In this week's column, I share with you a Middle Eastern rice dish, Tatbileh, which I discovered when reading a blog! Truly, food blogs are the best places to discover food. Thanks to Sarah Melamed over at Food Bridge, I now have another dish that I can add to my repertoire of quick tasty meals.

Read more about this dish here and get the recipe, or head over to the Food Bridge.

This week on About.com, discover how to make this delicious, creamy corn soup that is a favourite in Trinidad & Tobago.

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I've Cheated... I've been Unfaithful...

I come before you with my head bowed for I have flirted, cheated and obsessed about things other than my self-confessed true love... Here's the thing, though my head is bowed I am not sure of how ashamed I am. Does that make me a bad person? Does it mean that I need therapy? You'll have to click here to read the rest of the column.

In order not to give away anything, I'll just leave the pictures below. When you read the column, you'll figure it out. Go on, read the column. When you're done, come and share with me some of yours (don't worry, you'll understand when you've finished reading) :)

Photo credit: Eat, Drink & Be Merry

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Here is my dish that I have made for submission to the very worthwhile project being put on by my fellow BloggerAid friends. We are creating a cookbook and all the proceeds will go towards fighting hunger. You don't need to be a blogger to join us on this venture, just simply click here for all the details. If you have not heard of BloggerAid and want to know more, then come on over.

LAP CHEONG FRIED RICE

Click on the image to get all the details to this month's Monthly Mingle and your chance to win a free, signed copy of my book!

HAPPY LOVE DAY EVERYONE!

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Can Soup Unite?

Whenever my friend Adele mentions that she is making soup, I see her husband, Ivan, get a worried look on his face. You see, Ivan is one of those people who think that soup is not real food. Click here to continue reading the column.

There is soup, and then there is soup. For a clear understanding of what we like and refer to as soup, you've got to read the column, really it is an education.

Personally, I am not really a big soup lover but I do indulge at times such as this past week when I made some cow-heel soup along with dumplings, carrots and okra. Email me for a complete recipe.

For more soup recipes, see what some of my friends have made:

Marie's Soothing Soup
Sunita's Soup, Glorious Soup
Susan's Soup is good food
Pat's Lentil Soup with Italian Sausage & Escarole
Pixen's Sweet Pumpkin & Lily Bulb Soup

Now, in case you have not discovered his blog yet... and you like baking... and you like breads of all sorts, then you have to visit my friend, Chuck's blog, The Knead for Bread. Each post teases, seduces and entices me to go into the kitchen and bake. Remember the breakfast bread? It was his recipe.

Recently I saw his post on Apple Tart-Bread and knew I had to try it because I like baked apple stuff. What can I tell you? Read the comments section of his Apple Tart-Bread post and you'll find all the answers you need including the recipe.

I recently bought some tartlet pans and wanted to try them out that is why I did not make mine as a large tart. The remaining mixture I added to a loaf pan and baked an extra 15 minutes.

Finally, this week at Forgive Me My Nonsense... A true sign of hospitality

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