Caribbean Chicken Foot Soup

Steps

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1. 1
   Heat olive oil in a soup pot on medium heat. Add onions, garlic, scallions, fresh thyme, and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 3 minutes until vegetables soften and flavors release. Optionally add chopped Scotch bonnet pepper at this stage if using.
   ▶ ≈0:00
2. 2
   Add the trimmed and washed chicken feet to the pot and stir to combine with the aromatics. Add salt lightly—you will not need much salt since root vegetables and soup seasonings will be added later.
   ▶ ≈1:03
3. 3
   Prepare the root vegetables: peel sweet potato with a peeler and cut into chunks; remove the furry outer skin from christophene (oil your hands or wear gloves to avoid itching), halve it, wash, and cut into pieces; potatoes can be left unpeeled or peeled, then washed and chopped. Peel and chop carrots as well. If using sweet potato, keep it in water to prevent discoloration. Skip yam if desired.
   ▶ ≈2:00
4. 4
   Pour hot water into the pot and increase heat to high. Bring to a rolling boil and maintain for 10 minutes.
   ▶ ≈4:28
5. 5
   As the soup comes to a boil, add the pumpkin and allspice berries (optional) and stir. The pumpkin will cook quickly and add body to the soup. If you prefer to keep pumpkin pieces intact, add it later in the cooking process.
   ▶ ≈7:02
6. 6
   Add all the prepared root vegetables (carrots, potatoes, sweet potato, christophene) to the pot along with more water. Carefully stir to combine and return the soup to a boil.
   ▶ ≈8:27
7. 7
   Make the flour dumplings: combine 1.5 cups flour, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to form a soft dough. On a floured surface, roll out the dough and cut into 1 cm pieces using a knife. Drop the dumpling pieces into the simmering soup as you cut them.
   ▶ ≈9:07
8. 8
   Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes after adding the dumplings to allow them to cook fully and absorb the flavors of the broth.
   ▶ ≈11:12
9. 9
   Skim off any oils and impurities floating on the surface and discard. Stir in chopped fresh parsley. Taste the soup and adjust salt to your preference. Add more water if desired for more broth, but stir gently to keep the vegetables and dumplings intact.
   ▶ ≈12:05