Happy New Year! There are a bunch of traditional dishes around the world to help usher in a new year. In past years, I’ve shared a Black Eyed Peas Hash, Black Eyed Peas with Collard Greens, and a bunch of recipe for what to do with the leftover champagne (assuming you have any), like this Champagne Risotto Primavera and these Honey Citrus Champagne Cupcakes.
Some traditional dishes eaten on New Year’s Day have less to do with the new year and more to do with a country’s history. So this year, I’m sharing my adaptation of an Independence Stew from Haiti. Celebrated every January 1, Haiti proclaimed independence from French colonials on New Year’s Day 1804 following a 13 year revolution. Soup Joumou, a comforting stew traditionally made with beef, pumpkin, pasta, and a bunch of veggies and spices, has become a New Year’s Day dish to commemorate Haiti’s independence.
I adapted this recipe from Epicurious, scaling it down quite a bit and swapping butternut squash for the pumpkin because I couldn’t find any pumpkin that wasn’t already pureed.
Ingredients:
Marinade:
- 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 bell pepper (any color), coarsely chopped
- 1 scallion, coarsely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- 1 basil leaf
- the juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
Remaining Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, divided
- 1 pound stew beef cubes
- 7 cups chicken or beef broth, divided
- 2 beef bones
- 1 pound butternut squash, cut into cubes
- 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound), finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1/4 small green cabbage (about 1/2 pound), very thinly sliced
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped
- 1 small turnip, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon habanero chile hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 cup uncooked rigatoni
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 parsley sprig (optional)
- 1 thyme sprig (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omit to make dairy free)
You’ll begin by making your marinade. Prepare all your ingredients for the marinade. Add the onion, bell pepper, scallion, garlic, parsley, and basil to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. (These blend of ingredients are known as Epis, which is a Haitian Seasoning Base found in most Haitian recipes.)
Stir in the lime juice, salt, ground pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground red pepper. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
Pour 1/2 cup vinegar into another large bowl. Swish the stew beef in the vinegar to rinse, then transfer to a colander to rinse with water.
Add the beef to the marinade bowl and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.
When the beef has marinated, add 3 cups broth to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the marinated beef and the beef bones. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
This is a good time to start working on chopping up all the rest of your veggies, except the potatoes. Hold off on chopping those up until you’re about to add them to the pot.
After the pot has been simmering for 40 minutes, add the butternut squash to the pot.
Bring back to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.
Remove the squash with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Pour in 2 cups broth to the blender and puree until smooth. (Keep the center of the top of your blender off and cover the opening with a kitchen towel. This will allow the heat to escape without getting pureed squash all over your kitchen.)
Add the puree back to the pot and bring to a simmer.
Stir in your potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, celery, leek, turnip, hot sauce, and rigatoni.
Add in the cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, and remaining 2 cups broth, stirring to combine.
Simmer, uncovered, until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
Stir in the oil, butter, and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls to serve.
This recipe makes your entire house smell awesome. Luckily, the taste is just as good as the smell! Even though the ingredients may seem a bit random at first, they work really well together to deliver a flavorful and comforting dish.
If you like heat, you may want to add a bit more hot sauce. The teaspoon adds a slight heat but it’s very subtle. This stew is a great way to start off the new year!
Ingredients
- 1/2 small onion, coarsely chopped
- 1 bell pepper (any color), coarsely chopped
- 1 scallion, coarsely chopped
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup parsley leaves
- 1 basil leaf
- the juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon distilled white vinegar, divided
- 1 pound stew beef cubes
- 7 cups chicken or beef broth, divided
- 2 beef bones
- 1 pound butternut squash, cut into cubes
- 2 medium russet potatoes (about 1 pound), finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 1/4 small green cabbage (about 1/2 pound), very thinly sliced
- 1/2 small onion, sliced
- 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
- 1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, finely chopped
- 1 small turnip, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon habanero chile hot sauce, or to taste
- 1 cup uncooked rigatoni
- 3 whole cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 parsley sprig (optional)
- 1 thyme sprig (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter (omit to make dairy free)
Instructions
- You’ll begin by making your marinade. Prepare all your ingredients for the marinade. Add the onion, bell pepper, scallion, garlic, parsley, and basil to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. (These blend of ingredients are known as Epis, which is a Haitian Seasoning Base found in most Haitian recipes.)
- Stir in the lime juice, salt, ground pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground red pepper. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
- Pour 1/2 cup vinegar into another large bowl. Swish the stew beef in the vinegar to rinse, then transfer to a colander to rinse with water.
- Add the beef to the marinade bowl and toss to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.
- When the beef has marinated, add 3 cups broth to a large pot over medium high heat. Add the marinated beef and the beef bones. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
- This is a good time to start working on chopping up all the rest of your veggies, except the potatoes. Hold off on chopping those up until you’re about to add them to the pot.
- After the pot has been simmering for 40 minutes, add the butternut squash to the pot.
- Bring back to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender.
- Remove the squash with a slotted spoon and transfer to a blender. Pour in 2 cups broth to the blender and puree until smooth. (Keep the center of the top of your blender off and cover the opening with a kitchen towel. This will allow the heat to escape without getting pureed squash all over your kitchen.)
- Add the puree back to the pot and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in your potatoes, carrots, cabbage, onion, celery, leek, turnip, hot sauce, and rigatoni.
- Add in the cloves, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, parsley, thyme, and remaining 2 cups broth, stirring to combine.
- Simmer, uncovered, until pasta and vegetables are tender, about 30 to 35 minutes.
- Stir in the oil, butter, and 1/2 tablespoon vinegar. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Spoon into bowls to serve.
What do you think?