Pumpkin Soup With Spiced Nuts

Name: Pumpkin Soup With Spiced Nuts
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 1½ cups raw almonds, walnuts, or pecans; 3 Tbsp. pure maple syrup; 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil; 1 tsp. berbere; ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt; 1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper flakes; 1 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg; ½ cup vegetable oil; 8 sprigs thyme; 2 3" cinnamon sticks; 1 Tbsp. whole allspice; 1 tsp. whole cloves; ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, thinly sliced; 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; Kosher salt; 1 large butternut or kabocha squash or pumpkin (about 4 lb.),peeled, halved, seeds removed, cut into 1" cubes (about 8 cups); 3 cups vegetable stock or water; 3 cups unsweetened coconut milk (from two 13.5-oz. cans); A piece of cheesecloth

By Marcus Samuelsson

December 1, 2020

Pumpkin Soup With Spiced Nuts from Marcus Samuelsson

Photograph by Joshua Kissi, food styling by Roscoe Betsill, prop styling by Amy Wilson

Haitians often commemorate Independence Day on January 1 by eating soup joumou. While rebellion was ongoing throughout slavery, the Revolution began in 1791 and by 1804, Haitians had wrested control from the French. Black people in Haiti had been forbidden from eating soup joumou during enslavement, as the dish was a delicacy. Upon independence, the dish became a symbol for Black Haitians' freedom. This is my take on it.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘The Rise: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food.’

Editor’s note: We’ve updated the name and byline of this dish, and changed the headnote to match the excerpted recipe, which is chef Marcus Samuelsson's take on Haitian soup joumou, from Samuelsson’s cookbook ‘The Rise.’ We apologize for misrepresenting this recipe.

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