Red Peas Soup

1. Wash and rinse the dried kidney beans, then cover them with plenty of water in a deep bowl. They triple in size as they soak, so give them room. Soak overnight or for at least 2 hours, then throw away the soaking water.
2. Have your butcher cut the salted pigtail into 2-inch pieces. Wash it, drop it into a deep pot of water and bring to the boil. Cook for 20 minutes, then drain, rinse and do it again. This tenderises the pigtail and gets rid of most of the salt.
3. To build the soup, put everything in the pot except the flour and potato, cover with water and bring to the boil over high heat. Skim off any scum, then drop to a gentle boil and cook for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the beans are tender and beginning to break down.
4. Add the potato (and yams, if using) and the coconut milk, and carry on cooking for 15 minutes.
5. While that bubbles away, make the spinners. Mix the flour and water (with a pinch of salt if you like) into a soft, smooth dough, rest for 5 minutes, then pinch off a tablespoon at a time and roll between your hands into a thin cigarette shape.
6. Drop the spinners into the pot, stir well and cook for another 15 minutes at a rolling boil.
7. No extra salt goes in, since the pigtail seasons the dish, but taste and adjust as you see fit. It will thicken a good deal as it cools, and leftovers freeze well.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Soak the dried kidney beans overnight so they cook evenly and turn soft and creamy.
• If you're adding salted pigtail, boil and rinse it first to tenderise the meat and pull out excess salt.
• Roll the spinners thin, otherwise their middles stay raw while the soup is ready.
• The soup tightens up as it sits, so add a splash of water when you reheat it.