What is the leafy green in your CSA box this week? It’s Callaloo! Callaloo is an amaranth green which grows in the summertime. You can use it in place of spinach in any cooked dish. It’s great with eggs, in soups, or cooked with a little broth and some garlic. You can also try it finely chopped like a creamed spinach with coconut milk and some curry spice. This callaloo has a great local story. We were introduced to the crop by the Edible Plant Project here in Gainesville. We have sourced seeds from them and also saved some of our own. It is highly nutritious, with vitamin A, C, Calcium and Iron. It also grows throughout the summer, which is what makes it a miracle here in Florida. It does contain oxalic acid like Spinach, and should not be consumed raw in large quantities.
Try this recipe from Eatjamaican.com
JAMAICAN STEAMED CALLALOO RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups of firmly packed chopped callaloo
1/8 to 1/4 cup water
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 medium-sized well ripened tomato, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1/3 skin of a scotch bonnet pepper finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried time leaves
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
1 table spoon cooking oil
1 table spoon butter or margarine
Recipe by ©eatjamaican.com
Serves: 4
Process
Inspect callaloo and remove any debris, old leaves, or hard stalk, etc. Rinse in a large pot of cold water. Discard the water then add enough cold water to cover the callaloo. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the water and let sit for 1/2 to 1 hour. The salt will help to remove any additional small debris from the callaloo. Throw off the water and rinse the callaloo in another pot of cold water. Remove the callaloo and chop in 3/4 inch pieces in a slanted motion.
In a large pot add the 2 tablespoon oil and 1/8 to 1/4 cup water. Put four cups of firmly packed chopped callaloo on top. Add the remaining seasonings on top of the callaloo. Put a lid on the pot. Place on a medium flame and cook for roughly ten minutes or until pieces of the callaloo stalks are tender. The callaloo must stay green. Any discoloration towards brown means the callaloo is being overcooked.
http://eatjamaican.com/recipes/Jamaican-steamed-callaloo.html