Mettagee with Herbed Dumpling

Mettagee with Herbed Dumpling

Ingredients:

For Soup:

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 3 cups beef broth

• 1 1/2 lb. beef, cubed

• West Indian root vegetables: 1 large white sweet potato, 1 large orange sweet potato, 6 eddos, 1 6-inch cassava

• 1 to 2 plantains

• 1 medium onion, cut into large chunks

• 10 to 12 okra, optional

• salt and pepper to taste

For Herbed Dumplings:

• 1 cup all purpose flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/8 tsp salt

• 2 tsp sugar

• 2 tbsp finely chopped mixed herbs: chive, parsley, thyme, oregano

• 3 tbsp cold butter, cubed

• 4 tbsp water or milk

• pinch of grated nutmeg, optional

1. Place cubed beef in a large soup pot or Dutch oven, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and let cook for 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes; until beef is tender.

2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel sweet potatoes and eddoes, cut into 1 inch round then into half. With a sharp knife, cut cassava into 1 inch rounds, using a paring knife, remove skin from the cassava rounds then cut in half. Remove skin from plantains, cut into 1/2 inch rounds. Wash cut ground provisions.

3. Once beef is done cooking, add coconut milk and cassava and cook for 7 minutes on low boil. Add the rest of the ground provisions, plantains and onion, salt and pepper to the pot; if the liquid does not cover the provisions, add enough beef broth to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add okra, if using, after the ground provisions have cooked 5 minutes.

5. To make the dumplings, add flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and nutmeg to a bowl, stir to combine. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture; using a fork or pastry blender, work the butter into the flour until it forms pea size lumps. Add the chopped herbs, stir to combine. Mix in the water or milk to form a stiff dough. Knead for a few seconds to form a round. Roll dough into a log about 12 inches long and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Roll each piece into a ball.

6. Add the dumplings to the pot and cover; cook for 7 minutes.

7. Ladle soup into bowls and serve hot.

Serves: 4 to 6

Notes&Tips:

• Mettagee or Metem is a delicious soup with lots of root vegetables or ground provisions as they're known in the Caribbean and West Indies, cooked in a delicious coconut milk broth. Growing up in Guyana, I remember the wonderful Mettagee that my mother would cook, and it especially tasted good and satisfying on those rainy days when we couldn't go outside as the downpour was so heavy. Generally, my mother would use fresh fish as the protein source and allow it to steam along with the root vegetables.

• Traditional Mettagee is generally not served with a lot of broth; I however, like mine served with more broth that it is traditional to do; so I have more liquid in my recipe that most people will have.

• For this Mettagee recipe, I have used beef, and therefore, beef broth to add flavor. If using fish, fish broth would replace the beef broth. To make this dish vegetarian, simply omit the protein and use vegetable broth.

• The most time is spent in peeling and chopping the vegetables. After that, the recipe is a breeze. This is a comfort food that is welcome as the temperatures dip. It is warm and satisfying and above all else, delicious!

• All of the root vegetables could be found at your supermarket or any Asian or West Indian store. Cassava is labeled as Yucca in your supermarket, while Eddo is labelled Taro. I like to use plantains that are half ripe instead of green. Ripe plantains can also be used but must still be firm.

• Cassava takes a little more time to cook, hence allowing it to cook a little first before adding the rest of the vegetables.

• If you'd like a spicy soup, you could add hot pepper to the pot or sprinkle some red pepper flakes.

• The vegetables could be cut into as large chunks as you'd like, but note that the larger the chunks the longer the cooking time. The given sizes I've used in this recipe is how I cut and cooked the vegetables.

• Mettagee has always been a favorite soup of mine growing up. I have not cooked it a lot for my kids, but whenever I do they say it is their favorite!