Stew or Soup? In the Caribbean what we call “soup” is usually very hearty and in places like Canada and the US they would be considered “stews”. A great meal in one pot! Last fall I put this one together with the help from my mom (my personal recipe book) over the phone. Her original version did contain salted meat.
Ingredients.
25g / 1 oz butter or margarine
1 onion, chopped.
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 carrots, sliced
1 – 15g / 4 oz seeded, peeled pumpkin, chopped
1 Christophene, peeled, stoned and chopped (same size as the pumpkin)
Hearty Pumpkin Stew With Pigeon Peas and Christophene.
1 – 15g / 4 oz pigeon peas (that’s about a 1/3 of a normal can)
600 ml / 2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock.
2 sprigs of thyme (dried if you can’t get fresh)
1 tbsp fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves chopped.
25-50 g / 1-2 oz coconut cream (liquid or solid)
2.5 ml / 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
hot pepper
salt
Fun Fact : The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, and vegetable pear, is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.
Step 1.
Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes until the onion is soft. You may want to cook the onion a bit before adding the garlic, since garlic is know to burn fast and become very bitter. .
Step 2.
Stir in the carrots, pumpkin, christophene, pigeon peas, stock and thyme at this point. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Step 3.
Add the coriander, coconut, cinnamon, hot pepper and salt (to taste). Simmer until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced and thick (agin to your liking.. I like mine thick) . Serve hot… garnish with coriander.
Here’s a peek at the finished product…
Do you have another version of this recipe? We welcome you to post your comments or submit your recipe and be featured on one of the fastest growing websites dedicted to Caribbean culinary culture.
Chris…