Our neighbor Caroline gave me one of her garden pumpkins and I immediately thought of Haitian pumpkin soup, joumou.
Whenever I think of joumou, I also think of Colonel Jean Claude Paul. Colonel Paul was a corrupt military strong man, heavily involved in the illicit drug trade during the Manigat/Namphy political upheavals in Haiti. While Colonel Paul sided with Henri Namphy against Leslie Manigat during the June 1988 coup d’etat, he was never really a partisan, but a drug money rich, independent individual, feared by both the population and the government because of the loyalty of his salary enhanced troops. Untouchable he thought.
Normally, the death of a man like Colonel Paul wouldn’t have deserved a footnote in Haiti’s turbulent and violent history of hundreds of greedy, selfish men just like him. However Colonel Paul, to the everlasting hilarity of the Haitian people, died while enjoying a poisoned bowl of his favorite dish, Soupe Joumou. After the laughter died down, his death spawned numerous anecdotes and jokes entitled “Colonel Soupe”, earning Jean Claude Paul a better place in Haitian memory than he could have created for himself.
The preparation of this soup is a bit fiddly. The pumpkin has to be roasted first, then pureed. There are lots of vegetables to chop but you can always draft a family member as a “coupe oignon” to help with this if you don’t have a food processor. Make it on a heavy snow day and they’ll have nothing to do with themselves 😀
For some reason, Weiss supermarket was only selling Angus beef products. It wasn’t on sale or anything but that’s all they had. Over drinks at Leunes’, a farmer told us that the beef they are calling Angus is most times just black cow and doesn’t always have anything to do with the breed. I believe that, convinced by the mediocrity of these “Angus” beef cubes that exuded a large amount of water when I was browning them. This is not the first time we have been less than satisfied with Weiss products. Remember those black eyed peas? We also found jam that had expired early last year and 8lbs of potatoes that were advertised as 10lbs on sale.
This is the first time I’ve shopped in a Weiss store, so I don’t know if it’s the management of this particular store or the entire chain. In any case, they’re dead to me now 😀
Soupe Joumou
1 largish pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 lbs beef, cubed, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 large onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp dried thyme
5 whole cloves
3 Maggi bouillon cubes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
Water to cover, 2 inches above ingredients, plus 4 cups
2 large potatoes, cubed
2 mirliton, peeled, seeded and cubed
1/4 cabbage, chopped
2 turnips, cubed
3 carrots, diced
2 leeks, chopped
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
1 scotch bonnet, halved
1 cup broken spaghetti
Roast the pumpkin wedges in a 350 F oven for 45 minutes, then remove the skin from the pulp and puree. Set aside.
In a skillet, brown the meat cubes in the olive oil, remove and place inside a large stock pot. Add the onion, celery and garlic to the skillet and saute until tender, then add to the meat in the stock pot with the thyme, cloves, bouillon cubes, salt, pepper and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.
Add the reserved pumpkin puree, potatoes, mirliton, cabbage, turnips, carrots, leeks, parsley and scotch bonnet to the pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Add the spaghetti and continue to cook until the spaghetti is done.
WOW! That looks amazing!
Thank you McShane.
A good story! I love reading recipes with stories. I am just making soup myself today. A la kitchen sink or Dagwood, since I am not driving out in the blowing snow & descending temps to get anything special. I hope word gets back back to management about your blog expose of
Weiss store offerings. Good for you! I enjoy your recipes & photos very much & hope you all can return to France before long, but now you have le petit chien, so it will be more difficult! Best stay home & try to improve things in PA & for all of us!! Merci beaucoup for this today!
Thank you jm. I’ll be heading back to France in the Spring for some months. Jessie (dog) and the cats were born in France and should be excited about seeing the house and neighbors again. I am 🙂 Still, Honesdale, PA is a nice town. I just have to sort out the shopping.
Should I fear for my life with this soup?
Only if involved in Haitian politics 🙂
what an interesting story! like most of us in the good old USA I know very little about the history of Haiti. That soup looks wonderful!
Thank you Trish. Unfortunately, Haitian political history continues to be a long running, tragic soap opera.
This sounds fantastic! And your dishes are beautiful 😉
Thank you very much Food.
That looks perfect for a cold day. If I hadn’t just had a supper of duck confit pancakes, lamb chops and comté, at a friend’s house, I’d want some myself 😉
…and I just noticed those fantastic Haitian figures in the last shot!
Your meal sounds scrumptious! Jealous 🙂
You’ll be back in France soon and eating duck for breakfast 😉
A lovely thought 🙂
Very interesting recipe! You have my attention. 🙂
Please do tell what mirlitons are and scotch bonnets. I have never heard of these and live in the Western United States.
Thank you! 🙂
Mirlitons (chayote) is a small, mild, green squash. Scotch bonnets are cute, little dangerous chillies that range in color from yellow to red. Try Asian and/or Caribbean grocers for these.
Thanks for the feedback. I will check into the Asian stores around for the Chayote. Since I am sensitive to nightshades, I will leave out the scotch bonnets then. Thank you! 🙂
I love these Haitian recipes. Nice work and cracking pics as per usual! 🙂
Thank you food.
A delicious soup, Rosemary. Right up my street once again!
Thank you Frugal.
More exotic crockery, I see:)
Gien 🙂
Great story, fabulous suop and I love those figures in the photo! Bloody awful supermarket though – what a con!
I bought a lot of those market figures from Haiti in the late 70s. I love them. Weiss is dead to me 🙂
I’ll be trying this !!! Looks delicious!!!
Great Hasina!
Nobody has better stories than you!
Thank you Michelle. I like telling them 🙂
Beautiful soup and great story. Shame that store is labeling things like that. I hate it when people do that.
Thank you Virginia. It seems you have to be very, very careful with these supermarkets!
Scary isn’t it.
Yes.
Delish! Love soupe joumou. Usually use shin as it’s easily available here in Mex. Have made it with goat, too.
Shin and goat would be delicious.
Entertaining anecdote, too. I remember the drug trafficking stories about Col. Paul, but hadn’t heard of his joumou-induced demise.
What an interesting history and beautiful recipe. You’re the only one I know who would say “I immediately thought of “soupe joumou”. What beautiful photos too. This is what I love so much about your cooking.
Thank you Amanda 🙂