Recipe: Soup Joumou and Sauteed Greens with Bacon

Early in their friendship, Kevin Jean introduced Silka and Christian Swafford to the amazingness that is Soup Joumous. The rich and hearty soup is a very important part of Haitian culture as it celebrates not only the new year but also Haiti's independence on January 1st, 1804. Starting with a squash or pumpkin base, Kevin’s family adds beef (oxtail, short rib, or neck), potatoes, yucca, peppers (sweet and hot), carrots, celery, onion, spices and herbs. It's incredible aroma and gorgeously bright color make it the perfect dish to ring in the new year.

After years of nagging recipe and/or leftovers requests, Kevin and his mother have started a new New Years tradition - making an extra pot of soup just for Kevin to share with us. This year, we wanted to contribute something simple and green, so we picked up some beautiful Collards from the market along with some bread and Alpine cheese. Christian and Lauren joined us with beer and dessert, and we promptly got down to feasting. Before we knew it, we were happily slumped in our chairs, bellies full of warming soup and heads full of big plans for the new year.

Huge thanks to Kevin and Myrtha for their generosity each and every delicious New Year! Bon Bagay!

We're going to hold on to the Soup Joumou recipe for a little while longer, in the hopes that Kevin and Myrtha open a Haitian Food Truck and make millions off their secret recipe. Instead, by popular demand, here is our recipe for collards with bacon which can easily be adapted for kale, chard, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and other hearty greens.

Sauteed Greens with Bacon

 

+ 3 lbs of collards, or other hearty greens, washed and cut into 2 in slices (or if sprouts, cut in half)

+ 1 lb of roughly-cut bacon (preferably bacon ends)

+ salt and pepper to taste

1.Cut the bacon into big chunks and saute over high heat in a large skillet.

2. When bacon begins to crisp, add greens and turn heat down to medium-high. You could also throw in some sliced garlic at this point.

3. Saute for 5-10 minutes. When the green have wilted, add a 1/2 cup of water.

4. Continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes. The greens should be tender and dark in color.

5. Serve sprinkled with red pepper flakes and a splash of apple cider vinegar.

Serves 6

Sunday Dinner: Dine In Irene

Before we started this blog, or even talked about starting this blog, we daydreamed of hosting a "supper club." While we hadn't really worked out the details, we knew it would be a great opportunity to entertain more without going broke and good practice presuming we ever open a small restaurant. We talked endlessly about possible ways to create a unique experience for our guests- maybe integrating Jake's art work or collaborating with our friend Kelly, the BLager- but we were still in the brainstorming stages.

When we read about Dine In Irene, organized by GrowNYC and Bloggers without Borders, we knew we'd found our excuse to really dive in and try it out. The event's brief represented everything behind our blog and the way we live our lives; advocating for local food and economies, communities and the stories that support them. By shopping almost exclusively at the Green Market, we were already doing our small part in helping a handful of vendors who were hurt by the flooding. But what about those farms who were so devastated that they had nothing left to sell? We wanted to do something bigger and this was a great opportunity. 

On Monday we quickly put together an approximate menu, a description of the cause, and the details of the evening. After setting the limit at 12, we sent the invite out to about 30 people and within two hours we had said yes to 16 people with more requests coming in. Suddenly it hit us- we had never cooked dinner for 18 people. Where would people sit? How would we cook that much food in our small, hot kitchen? Did we even have enough plates? Would everyone get along or keep to themselves in awkward social circles around the apartment?

Well, we're pleased to announce that we pulled it off! We cooked and shopped for two days, shifting the menu as the ingredients did or did not show up at the market. We shared the kitchen without killing one another and nothing was burnt! The food was great, everyone got along perfectly, and we raised over $400.

None, and we mean none, of this could have happened without the help our of incredibly supportive group of friends- both those who were there and those who couldn't make it. We were so proud to gather and raise a glass in gratitude for the many dedicated farmers who make meals like this possible.

So now that we're seasoned professionals (ha!), we'll be hosting dinners like this a lot more often. If you're interested in joining our mailing list for our events, please send us an email at cutandbake@gmail.com with the subject "mailing list." We can't wait to see you here!

MENU

MAIN COURSE

Pork Butt Braised in Hard Cider
Pork Butt- Fleisher’s Meats
Pork Shoulder- Flying Pigs Farm
Rustica Hard Cider- Eve’s Cidery
Mustard- A. Bauer’s Mustard (Eataly)
Leeks and Parsnips- Migliorelli Farm

Slaw
Nappa Cabbage and Jalapeno- Queen’s Farm
Honey- Berkshire Berries
Carrots- Migliorelli Farm
Apple Cider Vinegar- Race Farm

Roasted Squash
Delectica and Butter Cup Squashes- Sycamore Farm
Butternut Squashes, Sage, Rosemary and Garlic- Keith’s Farm
Maple Syrup- Jake’s Back Yard

Sauteed Kale with Bacon
Kale- Migliorelli Farm
Bacon- Flying Pig Farm
Sunflower Oil- Cayuga Pure Organics

Buttermilk Biscuits
Buttermilk- Tonje’s Family Dairy
Butter- Ronnybrook Dairy
All-Purpose Flour- Cayuga Pure Organics

DESSERT

Apple Pie
Mutsu and Jonathan Apples- Locust Grove Farms
Cream Cheese- Ben’s Cream Cheese (Eataly)

Pear and Raspbery Pie
Bartlett Pears- Breezy Hill Orchards
Raspberries- Berried Treasures

Buttermilk Ice Cream
Buttermilk- Tonje’s Family Dairy
Heavy Cream- Milk Thistle Organic Dairy
Eggs- Flying Pig Farm