Jamaican Cookery

Go to my YouTube channel, Flavour Pot for the video recipe.  Jamaican cockles soup is a traditional Jamaican dish made with cockles (small, edible saltwater clams), vegetables, and spices. The soup is typically flavored with thyme, scotch bonnet peppers,etc. Clam can be used instead of cockles

Ingredients
1/4 lb. pumpkin
2 lbs. cockles
2 Irish potatoes
2 carrots
1 coco (cocoyam)
6 cups water
1 cock soup mix
1 stalk scallion
1 green Scotch Bonnet
1/2 tsp. green thyme leaves
salt to taste
A few pimento seeds
1 clove garlic
1 cup all-purpose flour
Method
Cleaning the cockles
Rinse the cockles thoroughly in cold water to remove any dirt or debris.
Soak the cockles in a bowl of cold water for about 30 minutes. This will help to remove any sand or grit that may be inside the shells
After soaking, gently scrub the outside of the cockles with a brush to remove any remaining dirt or debris
Check the cockles for any that are open or have cracked shells. Discard any that are open or have cracked shells, as they may be dead and not safe to eat
Rinse the cockles again in cold water to remove any remaining dirt or debris.
In a container, add flour, salt, then use a little water and mix flour into dough. Cover dough and allow to rest.
Peel pumpkin, carrots and Irish, wash, then cut into small pieces. Peel cocoyam, wash then cut into small pieces
Put a pot with 6 cups of water on medium-low heat, add pimento seeds and garlic, cover and allow to come to a boil. Add the pumpkin, carrot, Irish and cocoyam. Cover pot and all vegetable to partially cooked. After vegetables are partially cooked, add the cockles, make spinners with the dough then add to pot. Add the cock soup mix, scallion, Scotch Bonnet and thyme. Stir the pot, lower the heat  and allow the soup to somewhat thickens, Taste and add salt if needed. Serve hot.