May09thTue Jamaican Red Pea Soup

This Jamaican Red Pea Soup recipe is made using dry red peas which have to be soaked overnight. In Jamaica we call them "Red Peas" but they are really Red Kidney Beans. This is definitely a Jamaican family favourite, used for a quick lunch on the go or a full sit down dinner or for a gathering of friends.

Ingredients
2 Cups dry red peas
1/2 lb in total of salted pig's tail ... and/or salt beef ... if you can't get those use chopped bacon
About a dozen whole dry pimento berries (Allspice)
1/2 of a fit but not ripe bread fruit, or 1 tin of bread fruit slices
2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 whole Scotch Bonnet pepper (2 if you wish) - but do not break
4-5 stalks scallion (escallion, skellion, spring onion) - chopped
Black pepper and salt to taste at the end

Method:
Soak the dry red peas and the pig's tail or salt beef overnight.
Next day put red peas in a large saucepan, cover with water, bring to the boil, turn heat down to a simmer
Chop the pig's tail and salt beef into bite sized chunks and add to the saucepan after about 30 minutes
Add pimento berries at the same time
If you have a whole fresh breadfruit cut it in half, scoop out and discard centre, peel skin off, and put half in the freezer for next time
Cut the other half into slices
Add the breadfruit, thyme and Scotch Bonnet Pepper to the pot after the peas have been cooking for about 75 minutes.
If you are using tinned bread fruit don't add until peas begin to soften, and if you are using bacon instead of pig's tail add it at the same time.
When red peas are soft (after 1 3/4 to 2 hours cooking) carefully remove scotch bonnet peppers (don't break) and thyme sprigs.
Some cooks like to remove the breadfruit and meat from the pot and puree the red peas ... others prefer it as is
Put all ingredients back into pot, add spring onion (eskellion) and let simmer for 10 minutes

Cooking Tips:
Spinners (long thin dumplings) or round traditiona dumplings, usually are a major part of this meal