Cow Heel Soup (1 of 1)-4And we have yet another soup recipe because since January rolled around, the temperature has dropped (as it should) here in Atlanta and I’m constantly seeking a source of warmth.   I must admit that while I do love cowheel soup, it is not something that I prepare often since my husband is not a fan of cowheel.  Cowheel is quite popular in the Guyana and the Caribbean and is most used in soup,  souse and pepperpot.   This tough piece of “meat” has to be cooked for long periods for it to be tender enough to be eaten; using a pressure cooker is highly recommended when cooking cowheel as it reduces the cooking time significantly.  Once cooked the cowheel becomes almost jelly like in texture that’s slightly sticky.  I kept this cowheel soup fairly simple but you can add your favorite combination of vegetables or dumpling.

 Cow Heel Soup (1 of 1)-3

Get the Recipe COWHEEL SOUP

Ingredients
 

  • 1 ½ lb cowheel
  • 1 tsp oil
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 2 scallion, chopped
  • 1 wiri pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 10 sprigs thyme
  • ½ cup split peas
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp salt
  • water

Instructions
 

  • Place cowheel in a large pot and cover with water, boil until tender adding more water as needed. I highly recommend using a pressure cooker to cut down on the cook time. Pressure for 20-25 minutes.
  • Once cowheel is tender, remove from water and allow to cool before cutting into smaller pieces.
  • In a large pot over medium heat, add oil. When oil is hot add carrots, onion, scallion, garlic, thyme and pepper and sautee until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add split peas, cowheel and 3 cups of the liquid that the cowheel was boiled in and an additional 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover and cook until split peas are soft and dissolves into the soup, about 1 ½ hour.
  • *Dumplings can be added to the soup in the last 10 minutes, here are two dumpling recipes here and here
  • *Root vegetables such as sweet potatoes, eddoes or dahseen can be added to the soup
Author: Jehan Powell