Serves 4-6
Callaloo, a luscious green stew made all over the Caribbean, is one of *those* recipes. It’s like chili in the US; everyone lays claim to having the “best” version. And every version was made by someone’s mama, so you best not mess with it. This version is made by Ava’s mamma – me. But.. unlike those other recipes, feel free to mess with mine. After all, I’m a novice Callaloo maker and still have a lot to learn.
Given the limitations of supplies around these parts, I went ahead and made a few substitutions, all clearly noted.
Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4 green onions, sliced
vegetable oil
ham bone (salted pig tails are traditional, but I had a bone leftover from my Christmas ham)
1 lb baby spinach (use dasheen/taro leaves, if you can find them)
1 can coconut milk
1 coconut can of water
1/2 lb okra
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (about a sprig)
1/2 lb lump crabmeat (whole crab is traditional)
Method:
Add coconut milk and water to a large pot. Heat over medium.
Pile on baby spinach. It will cook down into the liquid.
Add onions, garlic, and green onions…
Don’t forget some okra and habenero.
And a healthy bit of thyme.
Add a ham bone – but, by all means, wait until there’s a bit more room in the pot. That’s what I did.
Simmer, covered for about an hour.
Remove the ham bone and pulse a few times with an immersion blender
(Traditional recipes call for “swizzling” the soup with a special rod called a “swizzle stick.” They use it much like a whisk and it breaks the soup down and leaves a somewhat coarse texture)
Stir in the crab meat. Season with salt & pepper.
Cook another 15 minutes, then serve over rice with macaroni pie or some beautiful bakes.
Servings |
4-6 people |
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Callaloo, a luscious green stew made all over the Caribbean, is one of *those* recipes. It’s like chili in the US; everyone lays claim to having the “best” version. And every version was made by someone’s mama, so you best not mess with it. This version is made by Ava’s mamma – me. But.. unlike those other recipes, feel free to mess with mine. After all, I’m a novice Callaloo maker and still have a lot to learn.
Given the limitations of supplies around these parts, I went ahead and made a few substitutions, all clearly noted.
|
- 1 large onions , chopped
- 4 cloves garlic , crushed
- 4 green onions , sliced
- vegetable oil
- ham bone (salted pig tails are traditional)
- 1 lb baby spinach (use dasheen/taro leaves, if you can find them)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can coconut water
- 1/2 lb okra
- 1 tsp thyme , about a sprig (freshly chopped)
- 1/2 lb lump crabmeat (whole crab is traditional)
- 1 habanero pepper
- Add coconut milk and water to a large pot. Heat over medium.
- Pile on baby spinach, it will cook down into the liquid.
- Add onions, garlic, green onions, okra habanero and thyme.
- Add ham bone when there's room in the pot. Simmer, covered for an hour.
- Remove the ham bone and pulse a few times with an immersion blender. (Traditional recipes call for "swizzling" the soup with a special rod called a "swizzle stick". They use it much like a whisk and it breaks the soup down and leaves a somewhat coarse texture).
- Stir in the crab meat. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook another 15 minutes, then serve over rice with macaroni pie or some beautiful bakes.
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