Haitian New Year Soupe Jaune

Haitian New Year "Soupe Jaune"
From The New American Cooking

Prep time: 10 minutes
Roasting time: 20-30 minutes (depending on the size of the squash)
Cooking time: 1½ - 2 hours
Serves 8-10

Ingredients
1 butternut squash (about 3 ½ lb/1.5kg), cut in half length-wise and seeded
½ tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp cracked black pepper
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ lb/ ¾ kg beef stew cut into 1½“ cubes
1 tbsp Creole seasoning
1 large onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
1 cabbage (3lb/2.2 kg), shredded (about 4 cups)
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 quarts/litres chicken broth or water (I always go for broth)
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
1 tbsp kosher salt – sounds like a lot, but really it wasn’t salty at all
1 ½ tsp cracked black pepper
¼ tsp ground allspice
8 carrots, peeled and cut into 1” rounds (about 3 cups)
2 cups farfalle - optional
¼ cup fresh parsley – flat leaf, preferred, chopped

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C and cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Brush the cut side with some olive oil, season with a little salt & pepper and roast (I always roast cut side down, but this recipe calls for cut side up – I think both ways are fine) until tender. Anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on the squash. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes or at least until it’s cool enough to handle. Scrape out the pulp and discard the skin. Set aside.

2. In the meantime, in a large bowl, toss the beef with the Creole seasoning.

3. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and sear the meat on all sides. Do not crowd the pot or the meat will just boil. Remove seared meat when done with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

4. Sauté the cabbage and onion in the same pot, adding a little more oil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss in the garlic and ginger and cook for another 2-3 minutes. You just want to get the aroma going, you don’t want the delicate garlic & ginger to burn.

5. Pour the broth over the onions and cabbage and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the squash, beef and thyme. Season with salt, pepper and allspice. Simmer, covered for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan.

6. Add the carrot rounds and simmer for another 30 minutes or until the carrots are just tender – not mushy.

7. If you are adding Farfalle (I didn’t this time) add it now and cook for about 10-15 minutes longer (just until the pasta is al dente).

If the soup is too thick, you can add more broth or some water.

Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley.