Calabaza Squash Soup from the Islands
A velvety, spiced soup made from calabaza (West Indian pumpkin), perfumed with thyme, clove, and a hint of chili, enriched with a piece of salted meat and a few root vegetables. Inspired by the great Creole tradition of calabaza soup.
A velvety, spiced soup made from calabaza (West Indian pumpkin), perfumed with thyme, clove, and a hint of chili, enriched with a piece of salted meat and a few root vegetables. Inspired by the great Creole tradition of calabaza soup.
You want to know where I truly come from? Taste this soup. Over there, under the great sun, we made the calabaza sing in the pot with thyme and a hint of chili that pricks your tongue like a stolen kiss. I never forgot that golden color and that warmth of spices; even in the grayness of Paris, a bowl of that soup brought me back to the homeland in an instant.
- •Calabaza (West Indian pumpkin) — a nice slice (soup base)
- •Salted meat or oxtail — a piece (broth and umami)
- •Thyme, parsley, scallion — a bunch (Creole aromatics)
- •Clove, chili pepper — in moderation (spices)
- •Yam or malanga — a little (nourishing roots)
- •Lime — one (bright acidity)
Calabaza Squash Soup from the Islands
A velvety, spiced soup made from calabaza (West Indian pumpkin), perfumed with thyme, clove, and a hint of chili, enriched with a piece of salted meat and a few root vegetables. Inspired by the great Creole tradition of calabaza soup.
Why this dish? Born in the Antilles according to what can be guessed of her history, Jeanne carries Creole flavors within her. The calabaza soup, that orange pumpkin from the Islands simmered with spices and meat, is the memory dish of a presumed childhood under skies other than the gray ones of the Latin Quarter.
You want to know where I truly come from? Taste this soup. Over there, under the great sun, we made the calabaza sing in the pot with thyme and a hint of chili that pricks your tongue like a stolen kiss. I never forgot that golden color and that warmth of spices; even in the grayness of Paris, a bowl of that soup brought me back to the homeland in an instant.
Ingredients (period version)
- Calabaza (West Indian pumpkin) — a nice slice (soup base)
- Salted meat or oxtail — a piece (broth and umami)
- Thyme, parsley, scallion — a bunch (Creole aromatics)
- Clove, chili pepper — in moderation (spices)
- Yam or malanga — a little (nourishing roots)
- Lime — one (bright acidity)
Ingredients
- Pumpkin or butternut squash — 800 g (soup base)
- Salt pork or beef shank — 300 g (broth and umami)
- Thyme, parsley, 2 spring onions — 1 bunch (Creole aromatics)
- Cloves — 2 (spice)
- Vegetarian chili or a hint of hot pepper — 1 (whole, unpierced) (mild aroma)
- Yam or potato — 2 (nourishing roots)
- Garlic, lime — 2 cloves + 1 (lift and brightness)
Method
- Desalt the meat, then simmer for 1 hour in a large volume of water with thyme, garlic, cloves, and onions.
- Add the pumpkin in large chunks and the yam, and cook for 25 minutes until tender.
- Remove the meat, blend part of the soup to obtain an orange velouté, keeping some chunks whole.
- Add the whole chili (unpierced, for aroma without heat) and let infuse 5 minutes, then remove it.
- Adjust salt, return the shredded meat, and serve with a squeeze of lime.
How it was made : Calabaza soup is a pillar of Creole cuisine in the Antilles and Haiti. The famous soup joumou, which became a symbol of Haitian freedom, is directly descended from it. Here, we respectfully draw inspiration from this living tradition without reproducing its ritual significance: a spiced pumpkin velouté, memory of a sun-drenched cuisine.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a verrine, pumpkin mousse whipped with coconut milk and a crumble of smoked cancoillotte — a 'Creole-Parisian' nod to Jeanne's dual heritage.
Jeanne Duval · Charactorium
