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Callaloo
Made throughout the Caribbean and with many regional versions, callaloo is, in most basic terms, a dish of spicy stewed greens. Depending on the place of origin, the star ingredient might be taro greens, water spinach or amaranth greens. If those aren’t available, recipes may call for kale, spinach or, as in our version, Swiss chard. Cured meat, salted fish or shellfish are common, but we forgo these and focus on building bold flavor with chilies, thyme, scallions and allspice. With both tomatoes and coconut milk, our recipe is hearty and stewy but is not true to any particular regional version of callaloo. The optional okra thickens the consistency, but if you’re not a fan, simply omit it; the flavor of the dish won’t suffer. Serve as a side or as a main with rice, and offer hot sauce if the fresh chilies don’t supply enough heat for your taste.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t use the chard stems. This dish should be all about the silky, supple greens. If you have rubber gloves, you may want to wear them when handling the chilies to prevent the capsaicin, the heat-containing compound, from getting onto your hands.
35 minutes
Ingredients
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2
tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil
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1
bunch scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens reserved separately
Directions
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01In a large pot over medium, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the scallion whites, thyme and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, until the scallions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the chard in batches, stirring to help the leaves wilt, then add half of the scallion greens, the tomatoes, coconut milk, chilies, okra (if using), allspice and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high, then cover, reduce to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is just tender, about 10 minutes.
