Ya Man! Now That's Kickin'.

It was because of that can which inclined me to make a Jamaican Pepper pot. Later on, I found out that callaloo is simply taro root leaves, also known as dasheen or amaranth leaves. I saw dasheen many times at the Asian market, yet, unbeknownst to me that it was the same gosh darn thing. Sigh. Oh well; I actually think the can was easier and much more convenient. Of course there is also cocoyam leaves, coco leaves, colocasia leaves because those are the names given to the taro root. The taste of callaloo reminded me of mustard greens; although much more sweet. I could also compare them to a bitter spinach or kale. It’s not bad at all, honestly but just make certain you cook it. Like the taro, it needs to be cooked prior to ingestion. It’s not as toxic but it’s stated to be toxic.

Callaloo can also refer to the actual stew since there’s a difference between the Jamaican pepper pot and Callaloo stew, which originates from Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. I love food from the Caribbean; it’s so fresh, clean, and hotter than hellfire due to that scotch bonnet. The scotch bonnet is a cousin of the habanero so it makes a simple substitution. I’m still working on a good aiji substitution but I’m finding difficulty in getting a heat rating. I have to search more but possibly I think it’s between cayenne and jalapeños or hotter. Ah, well. Never say die, especially when eating chili peppers.

The vegetables, as in most stews, can vary greatly but the okra and callaloo (or water spinach or spinach in general work as a substitution) are required. It’s stated that the end product should be mostly a dark green so I achieved that. The only differences that I made were adding coconut milk since some recipes didn’t require it, added allspice since that’s used religiously throughout Jamacia, and left it Ital style by adding cashews instead of meat. Ital is the Rastafarian style of eating can be compared to a strict Jewish diet. They avoid salt, oil, and meat at all costs. The fish consumed has to be less than a foot long, have no shells or scales. The philosophy of Rastafarians is to be one with their food, consuming it in its purity. It’s a beautiful concept, much better than popping in a TV dinner in the microwave with the sodium content of 1164 mgs and questionable substances. I’ve seen some scary things..and I’m sure you have too.

So here’s another Jamaican recipe, aside from your basic jerked spice. Not that there’s anything wrong with jerked seasons but there are other foods from the Caribbean aside via ‘jerked’. This is traditionally served with dumplings but I served it with cornmeal, which is also another staple of Jamaica. Darn good too when the bottom of the corn mush absorbed the coconut milk - mm! Why do I love Jamaica so? Because they, like the cuisine of South America, serve double starches and utilize yams, bananas, and yuca in everything - woo!

Jamaican Pepper Pot
2/3 cup callaloo (dasheen, coco leaves, or spinach)
½ cup chopped okra
¼ chopped bell peppers
½ onion, thinly sliced
1 small cassava, yuca, or tapioca root, cut into ¼ chunks
1 small sweet potato or yam, cut into ¼ chunks
2 scallions, cut into ½ inch pieces
½ habanero pepper, seeds somewhat removed (I like heat but I’m not suicidal)
¼ cup coconut milk

3-4 cashews, crushed (Optional)
Allspice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a nonstick deep frying pan, sauté the onions and bell peppers until soft, add the cassava and sweet potato with ½ cup water. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium, allowing it to simmer until both begin to be fork tender. I roughly timed it about 10 minutes if you did cut them small enough. Next, add the okra, habanero and callaloo with a bit of salt, allspice and pepper. Cover again for another five. Finally stir in the cashews if using with the scallions (green onions) and coconut milk. Cook for an additional five minutes until it reaches a thick consistency if that’s what you so desire, then let sit to allow the flavors to distribute.

If you wish for a thinner ‘soupy’ stew then add more liquid. I don’t really like lots of broth so I tend to allow evaporation to do its thing.

Serve with rice, cornmeal mush, or bammy (tapioca dumplings)