Trinidad Corn Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 lb potato, peeled and quartered
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1/3 cup chives, chopped
• 1/4 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh thyme, chopped
• 3/4 cup yellow split peas
• 2 pimento pepper (optional)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper or habanero pepper, left whole
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)
• 6 ears corn, cut into 2inch pieces
• 8 dumplings (or more)
• 1/4 cup culantro, chopped (substitute cilantro)
• salt
• black pepper

Directions

1. 1

   In a large soup pot heat oil.

2. 2

   Add the onions and garlic and saute until fragrant.

3. 3

   Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, thyme and pimento peppers and cook for about 5 mins stirring constantly.

4. 4

   Add the split peas and stock.

5. 5

   Add salt and black pepper to taste.

6. 6

   Add the scotch bonnet pepper and if using the coconnut milk.

7. 7

   Cover the pot and simmer for about an hour until peas are soft.

8. 8

   Use an immersion or ordinary blender and puree soup to a thick and creamy consistency and return to the pot.

9. 9

   Add corn and dumplings and cook for a further 20 minutes until corn is cooked and the dumplings float to the surface.

10. 10

    Add culantro, remove from the heat, taste and adjust seasonings.

11. 11

    If soup is too thick at any time, add water.