Trini Corn Soup - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3/4 cup yellow split peas, washed
8 cups vegetable stock
1 lb english potato, peeled and quartered
2 onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, diced
1/3 cup fresh thyme, chopped
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup chives, chopped
6 ears corn, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 congo hot pepper
2 pimento pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup coconut milk (optional)
For dumplings
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

for dumplings: Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and rub the butter into the flour until the mixture is grainy, slowly add the water and knead into a stiff dough. Cover and let it rest for about 30 minutes.
Divide the dumpling dough into two pieces,roll each dough into a long rope about 12 inches in length and cup into 2 inch lenghts.
Drop into the boiling soup.
Soup: In a large soup pot, heat the oil.
Saute onions and garlic until fragrant.
Add potatoes, carrots, chives, celery, peminto peppers and thyme and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add split peas and broth, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and bring to a boil.
Add the Congo pepper and coconut milk, then cover and simmer for about 1 hour until the peas are soft.
Puree the soup to a thick and creamy consistency, return to the pot.
Add corn and dumplings and continue to cook for a further 20 minutes until the dumplings float to the surface.
add the cilentro, remove from the heat, adjust the seasonings to taste.