Volume IV - August 1999
  here
are dozens of cookbooks offering recipes for traditional Caribbean
cuisine, and although the "Caribbean" islands themselves
reflect many different external influences - Dutch, English, French,
African and East Indian - there is a remarkable similarity from restaurant
menu to restaurant menu throughout the chain. Fundamentals are fish
(usually poached or pan-fried with stewed onions and tomatoes), fried
chicken legs (I swear there are no chicken breasts here!), meat stews
(goat, mutton, or pork - usually from cuts hard to identify! ), rotis
(like burritos stuffed with curried meat, conch or fish), all served
with peas and rice (a.k.a. rice and beans), "Provision"
garnishes (slices of boiled dasheen (root), plantain and green banana
- all filling starches), and a little salad (usually tomato and cucumber.)
It is all tasty, filling and cheap, if not low fat!
One recipe people have
always heard of and rarely tried is Callaloo. In the islands it is
made with the huge elephant-ear like leaves of the dasheen plant.
You can make it with spinach. The only difference is that dasheen
leaves MUST be cooked at least 30 minutes (do not even think of tasting
dasheen leaves until fully cooked; it is like eating fiberglass!!!!)
while spinach is best if added during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.
Gwen's Callaloo
2 Tbs. bacon fat
(I know, I know…you can use olive oil if you feel better about
it!)
1large onion, diced
1 chili pepper, seeded and minced
¾ Scotch Bonnet or habanero (hot!) pepper, seeded and minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless pork loin, diced
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup pumpkin, diced
2 cups potato, diced (I use one Idaho & one West Indian sweet
potato, when available)
½ cup carrots, diced
1 lb. fresh spinach (or two packages frozen)
Alt: two bunches dasheen leaves, stem and center veins removed, pre-cook
for 30 minutes)
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (1 tsp. dried)
1-2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
Optional: add cooked crab meat or shrimp
In large soup
pan, saute onion, seasoning peppers, garlic and meat in bacon fat
for 8-10 minutes. Stir in chicken stock. Add pumpkin, carrots, potatoes
and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in spinach, fresh or frozen (or pre-cooked
dasheen leaves), thyme and pepper and simmer another 5-10 minutes.
Puree soup, all
or part, in blender and serve hot.
|
