Happy New Year! (Part 3)

New Year's Eve was pretty low-key at our house. Jock went back to work and the kids back to daycare after being off all last week and part of the week before because of the blizzard. I worked a full day as well. The kids were pretty much a disaster by day's end with getting back to their routine of getting up early and being gone all day. So they went to bed on time or early. Jock and I had a quiet night lounging in front of the TV. Around 9:00 we were wondering if we were even going to make it to New Year's Day somewhere in the US - ha! We got out the bubbly early just in case.

Today we all slept in a bit, before I started making a pot of Haitian Pumpkin Soup. This is a dish that is traditionally made on New Year's Day in Haiti, also Haiti's Independence Day. Also called Soup Joumou, it is traditionally made on Haiti's independence day because it is a meal that French slave masters had forbidden their slaves to eat. So when the slaves revolted and earned their independence, Soup Joumou became a symbol of Haiti's freedom.

If you google Haitian Pumpkin Soup, or Soup Joumou, you will find many different variations. I decided to just pick one and make it. On an adoption group someone posted a link to this one, but then someone else pointed out that there is a "more authentic" version spelled out in the comments. I'm not sure about the "more authentic", because it appears that if you ask 10 Haitian women, you will get 10 different varieties of soup joumou. Maybe like asking Americans how to make chili.

I made the epis (spices to marinate the meat) yesterday. It made a HUGE batch! I could have just done a half batch and had more than enough to marinate the meat. It says this is a key to most Haitian dishes, so we tried cooking it in with a few other various things we had laying around for appetizers before supper last night. A few were busts, but a few were really good. :)







I marinated the meat overnight in the epis, and chopped the veggies (turnips, carrots, cabbage, celery, onion, potatoes) while the meat and pumpkin were cooking. Then you mix it all together. Once the veggies were tender I took out the habanero pepper and put in 3 more cups of water and a half-box of vermicelli. It smelled amazing while it was cooking!

We had it with rice and bread - common sides to go with it. I thought it was great as is, but would have probably put in two butternut squash instead of just one. I also had to add extra salt and pepper - but that's common for me at most any meal. Jock thought he needed to add a little of the habanero pepper to it (it just soaked in the soup while it was cooking - not cut open or pierced. I'm not a fan of hot, spicy foods, but I might try piercing it next time, maybe with one of the cloves, as it could have used a tiny bit more pizazz. The girls thought it was great as is. Elijah wasn't a fan - not a surprise since he's not the best veggie eater.

It was fun to make it for our family, in honor of our kids' Haitian heritage. It was also neat to talk to the kids about a traditional dish that's made in Haiti. Josephine thought that was pretty special. Although they don't quite comprehend the whole slavery/independence purpose behind it.

*****

2012 was a good year for us, but we are very much looking forward to 2013, as we anticipate the arrival of a new family member. Wishing you all many blessings in the new year!