Greg Couillard's Famous Jump Up Soup

Chef Greg Couillard's iconic Jump Up Soup, at one time arguably Toronto's most famous dish, was inspired by the first Caribana Parade in 1967. Based on a traditional Jamaican pepper pot soup, this hearty, spicy soup features Jamaican pumpkin, sweet potato, chayote, sweet and hot peppers and the complex spices that are Couillard's claim to fame. Although Greg has held cooking classes at Depanneur dedicated to his golden elixir, there are no recipes that I have ever found for his sensational signature soup except this one by Trish Magwood. His Jump Up Soup is however sold through The Fox Market on Fort York Boulevard in Toronto, where I recently purchased two 4-cup containers for just $9.99 each.



Jump Up Soup
Serves 8
Recipe courtesy of Trish Magwood

2 cup sweet potatoes, boiled, cooled and cubed
2 cup Jamaican or butternut squash, blanched and cubed 
2 cup okra, blanched, top removed and cut length-wise 
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 onions, diced
2 cup diced leeks 
3/4 cup diced celery 
2 each red and yellow sweet bell peppers, cut into 1/4 -inch dice
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground allspice 
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp curry powder 
6 bay leaves
1 bunch fresh thyme, tied in a bundle
1 tsp each salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cup chicken stock
4 cup tomato sauce 
2 cup black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 
1 scotch bonnet chili
1/2 cup honey 
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger 

Jerk Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, skin on, deboned
3 tbsp jerk paste 
1/2 cup soy sauce 
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp curry powder
2 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp shallots or green onions, minced 
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 
2 tbsp vegetable oil 


Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the jerk paste, soy sauce, vegetable oil, turmeric powder, garlic, shallots and cilantro. Pour over chicken, then cover and refrigerate for one hour. Once the chicken has marinated, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large ovenproof saucepan to medium-high. Shake the excess marinade from the chicken and place skin side down in the saucepan. Fry until crispy brown, turning once. Place the pan in a preheated 425°F oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool, and cut into long, fanned strips. 

Now begin making the soup, by heating 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a large soup pot, and once shimmering, sauté garlic for 2 minutes. Add onions, leeks, celery, and red and yellow peppers. Sauté for an additional 5 minutes. Add cinnamon stick, allspice, cumin, turmeric, curry powder, bay leaves, fresh thyme, salt and pepper, and mix well. Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce black-eyed peas and scotch bonnet chili. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with honey and ginger. Remove chili, bay leaves and thyme bundle. Place sweet potatoes, squash and sliced okra in each bowl and cover with the hot soup. Garnish with sliced jerk chicken and cilantro leaves.