Caribbean Stew with Coconut Milk, Kale, and Sweet Potato

Lately I've been getting into cooking dishes with a Caribbean flair. Boston is home to some excellent Caribbean restaurants, and the ingredients are both easy to find and inexpensive to purchase. I'd been thinking of trying to make something along the lines of callaloo, but I wasn't sure-- I'd looked into several recipes but couldn't find one that felt just right. Ingredients varied widely. Some called for ham or bacon, some called for crab, some called for beef, others called for all three. Some called for sweet potato, some called for squash or pumpkin, others seemed to be just callaloo leaves and broth and spices. Which to choose? Which was the most authentic?

Then I read a friendly little article on Jamaican cooking that assured me it was all right to make substitutions and to use the ingredients that suited me. To make callaloo, in Jamaica or in Trinidad or anywhere it is made, said the article, was to learn how to cook. Experiment, it urged me. Find what works.

Now, that's my kind of recipe.

And here is my very own version. I'm sure it would be excellent with real callaloo, but I already had so much kale that I decided to substitute. (And FYI, kale is considered to be pretty close to the real thing, if you can't get callaloo leaves in your area. Many recipes also suggest spinach.)

Callaloo, Boston-style

3 cups chopped kale, spinach, or collard greens, or callaloo leaves if you have them
1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups sweet potato, diced
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups vegetable broth
1 can lump crab meat (6 oz)
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can light coconut milk (12 oz, approx.)

Sauté onion and garlic in a little bit of oil in a large pot, about 5 minutes. Add in spices, cook 1 minute longer.

Pour in the broth and sweet potato; bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Add in the greens of your choice; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, crab, and black-eyed peas; simmer 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve. Makes 5-6 hearty servings.




This stew is rich and flavorful. It may be the best soup I've made to date-- and I make a lot of soup. I was dubious about using canned crab meat but it tasted fine; I'm not sure the recipe would be the same without it. The ingredients here really come together into something special. (Not to be too modest or anything.)

Potential Teriyaki

I like recipes that are flexible. Having to follow a recipe exactly without making any changes at all feels confining to me- that's why I don't bake much. Bread dough and I do not get along.

This recipe is heaven if you like improvisation. Just start with these components, and take it in any direction you want. I call it teriyaki, but the ingredients you choose and the ratio of sweet to sour could really make it into anything, like a barbeque sauce.

Sweet
jam, juice, sugar, fresh fruit, honey, ketchup, molasses...

Sour
vinegar, lemon, lime, wine...

Salty
soy sauce, salt, boullion, salted cooking wine, worchestershire sauce...

Aromatic
dried spices, fresh herbs, garlic, zests and peels, sesame seeds, hot sauce, browned onions...

I usually start with equal parts sweet, sour, and soy sauce, then adjust. If you don't have soy, you can use salt instead. One combination I like is pineapple juice concentrate, lime juice, and soy sauce. For aromatics, I add garlic, lime zest, and a huge amount of ginger.

The only rule is that you have to taste it over and over before you get it right.