Over the years I’ve shared about 30 + Soup Recipes and to be honest and frank, I’ve barely touched the surface when it comes to Caribbean and Caribbean inspired soup recipes. Such is our love for soups throughout the Caribbean. While this one is not your typical thick and ‘stew’ like variety you’d normally enjoy on the Islands, it is packed with deep Caribbean flavors.
You’ll Need…
3 lbs beef neck bones
3 tablespoon olive oil
2 large head garlic
1 large onion (diced)
2 stalks celery (chopped)
1 teaspoon black pepper (divided)
1 1/2 tablespoon concentrate tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
8 sprigs thyme
2 thick slices ginger
1 scotch bonnet pepper
10-14 cups hot water
3 medium carrots (cut large)
5 medium potatoes (cut in half)
1 1/2 lbs pumpkin (large pieces)
1 small cabbage (cut in large pieces)
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
Notes. Be sure to get your butcher to cut the bones for you, as you will not be successful with your clever or large chef’s knife. Any beef bones will work, in my case the neck bones I used had a fair bit of meat on it. If you’re doing this recipe gluten free, please go through the full list of ingredients to make sure they meet with your specific gluten free dietary needs.
Preheat your oven to 375 F. Wash the pieces of neck bones to remove any grit it may have from being cut on the band saw. Pat dry, then place in your roasting pan along with the garlic (skin on – I cut each head in half). Drizzle on the olive oil to coat everything.
Place a sheet of foil over the pan lightly and roast for one hour in the oven.
Remove the fat from the bottom of the roasting pan and place in your large soup pot on a medium/low flame. Add the onion, celery, 1/2 the black pepper, garlic we roasted (once cool, they will fall off the skin) and cook for 3 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add the roasted beef bones and stir well to coat. Then add the ginger, thyme (I tied them with string so later on they will be easier to remove) and float in the Scotch Bonnet pepper – DO NOT Break! Explained in the video.
Top with the water, turn up the heat to medium/high and bring to boil. Reduce to a gentle rolling boil. At any time you may watch the video below should you have any relating questions.
As it comes to a boil, add the carrots. Cook for 1 hours and 40 minutes. Then remove the ginger pieces, the thyme and at this point you will decide if you want to remove the Scotch Bonnet or break it to release the beast (heat). They’ve all done their respective jobs.
Add the pumpkin pieces along with the cabbage.
Bring the soup back up to a boil and cook for another 30 minutes or until the potato is tender. Please try to NOT over-stir as we don’t want to crush the carrot, pumpkin nor potato. The goal is to have a tasty broth with chunky pieces of vegetables.
At this point there may be pieces of bones where the meat fell off, you may remove those bones and discard. Taste and adjust the salt to you liking. The final step is to add the remaining black pepper and parsley. Turn off the stove.
TIP! You may add pieces of boneless pieces of beef (about 1 to 2 inches thick) to the soup at the start if you wanted (do not roast). And should you want an even more pronounced Caribbean flavor, add a tablespoon of homemade Caribbean Green Seasoning to the pot when you add the potatoes.
Enjoy a massive bowl of comfort!
