Ingredients
Cow foot
- 1.5 kgcow’s feet, cut into pieces
- juice of 3 limes
- coarse salt, for scrubbing
- 3 litreswater
Broth
- 2onions, chopped
- 6garlic cloves, crushed
- 4spring onions, sliced
- 3 sprigsthyme
- 1habanero, whole
- 6whole allspice berries
- 2stock cubes
- 1 tablespoonblack pepper
- salt to taste
Provisions
- 400 gyam, in chunks
- 300 gcassava, in chunks
- 300 gsweet potato, in chunks
- 2green bananas, halved
- 2carrots, sliced
Dumplings
- 250 gplain flour
- 1/2 teaspoonsalt
- about 120 ml water
To serve
- hot pepper sauce
- lime wedges
- bread
Directions
- Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw root at any point. Rub them hard with coarse salt. Rub them with lime juice as well. Rinse them thoroughly afterwards. Check for any remaining hair on the skin. Singe it off over a flame if you find any.
- Put the pieces in a pot of cold water. Bring it to a boil and let it boil hard. Give it about five full minutes. Drain them and rinse them thoroughly. Discard that first water entirely.
- Put the blanched pieces in a large pot. Cover them with the fresh water. Bring the whole pot up to a simmer. Skim off any foam that rises up. Never let it boil hard at any point.
- Cover it and let it cook away. Give it a full three hours at least. Add the onions, garlic and spring onions. Add the thyme and the allspice berries. Crumble the stock cubes into it. Add the whole habanero without cutting it. Never let it burst in the pot.
- Season it well with black pepper. Add these after about two hours. The meat should be soft and sticky. Add the cassava and the yam first. Those take about twenty-five minutes.
- Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Add water slowly until it comes together. Knead it briefly into a firm dough. Roll pieces into short thick fingers. Caribbean dumplings are firm rather than fluffy.
- Drop them into the simmering broth. They take about fifteen minutes to cook. Taste the broth and adjust the salt. It should be peppery and well seasoned. Ladle broth, meat and provisions into each. Make sure everyone gets some of each. Put hot pepper sauce on the table. It keeps three days refrigerated.
Technique
- Cow’s feet are almost entirely skin, tendon and bone, and their collagen converts to gelatine over three hours of gentle simmering, which is what thickens the broth.
- The conversion cannot be hurried, and a short cook leaves rubbery inedible feet with no middle ground.
- Afro-Caribbean settlers brought the dish along the Bay of Honduras, which is why it shares its roots with Jamaican cow foot.
Substitutions
- Oxtail can be cooked exactly the same way and needs about the same time.
- A pressure cooker cuts the long simmer to about ninety minutes.
Variations
- Some households add butter beans or split peas to the pot.
- A version with more pepper is made for those who want heat.
- Jamaican cow foot is the closest relative and is stewed rather than souped.
History
A Belizean Creole Saturday soup that shares its roots with Jamaican cow foot, brought by Afro-Caribbean settlers along the Bay of Honduras.
Frequently asked questions
What is Cow foot soup?
Cow foot soup is a soup & stew from Belize: gelatinous stewed cow’s feet with yam, cassava and dumplings. A Belizean Creole Saturday soup that shares its roots with Jamaican cow foot, brought by Afro-Caribbean settlers along the Bay of Honduras.
How long does Cow foot soup take to make?
Cow foot soup takes 40 minutes of preparation and 3 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Cow foot soup?
Yes, within limits. Oxtail can be cooked exactly the same way and needs about the same time. A pressure cooker cuts the long simmer to about ninety minutes.
What is the most important thing to get right in Cow foot soup?
Peel away the whole pink layer under the bark. Never taste the raw root at any point. Rub them hard with coarse salt. Rub them with lime juice as well. Rinse them thoroughly afterwards. Check for any remaining hair on the skin. Singe it off over a flame if you find any.
