Callaloo Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Many different variations of this stew can be found all throughout the Caribbean, featuring whatever local produce is in season. Taro is one of the signature ingredients of this dish, but because it can be difficult to find in some parts of the U.S., this recipe utilizes the much easier-to-source spinach. If you can find taro, feel free to use it! Just be aware that taro leaves, if eaten raw, are poisonous, so be sure to thoroughly cook your taro before consuming. You can also use kale or collard greens instead of the spinach.

No one can explain the significance of this dish better than Brigid's mother. Brigid (who developed this recipe) reports: "With a reverence that I had never witnessed from Mum regarding any type of food, she expounded on the history of callaloo; particularly, how it remains inextricably linked to the carefree realities of my all-girl Catholic high school existence. She challenged me to see beyond the ingredients and to imagine a time back when our ancestors crossed the Middle Passage, bound, beaten, and branded; a time when choice wasn’t an option. She reminded me of callaloo’s civic prestige—as Trinidad and Tobago’s national dish—duly designated by emancipated slaves-turned-citizens-turned-statesmen, acquainted with its place in the nation’s history.

"'There’s a reason we eat callaloo on Sunday,' she said. 'It’s the only day that slaves didn’t have to work on the sugar plantations.' And with that, the side I once shunned became a significant part of my identity. I felt small under the weight of a history I knew and blithely never acknowledged. But for the first time, I felt destined to be in the kitchen."

Read more here: The West African Dish That Formed the Heart of Our Sunday Lunches. —The Editors

Directions

1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the okra, onion, scallions, spinach, milk, salt, pepper, allspice, garlic, thyme, and cloves. Stir to combine and cover the pot. Cook 7 to 10 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
2. Add the whole pepper, cover the pot, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove and discard the pepper. Stir in the butter.
3. Using an immersion blender, purée the mixture until smooth. (If you don't have an immersion blender, feel free to use a regular blender, working in batches.)
4. Serve hot over white rice. Or serve as an alternative to spinach dip. To serve as a soup, add 2 to 3 cups of boiling water after the callaloo has been puréed (adjust the salt and pepper accordingly).