Cooking class and Callaloo Soup

When we were in Dominica for a few days last week, the folks from s/v Memory dinghied over on Thursday to say that "Providence" (Martin Carrierre) would be doing a market visit and a cooking session on Saturday morning.  After consulting with JP and Susan when they returned from their seven hour hike of a segment of the Waitukubuli National Trail, we decided to stick around on Saturday to participate.  The final dishes were a really delicious fish cake, that may be a bit too fiddly for the boat - though I think JP is pretty tempted to try it - and a stew that was billed as a "Callaloo" stew, but to my mind was really a very good island provision-and-chicken stew that used taro for its thickening, classic Caribbean flour-and-water dumplings, and, somewhat strangely by Trinidadian and Grenadian lights, ONLY the callaloo stems.  Martin's wife Flori showed us how to peel them - they were very long and thick, and the attached leaves rather aging - and then told me that they don't ever use the leaves.  I asked if I could have them, to supplement the ones I had bought in the market, and of course she said yes, but was rather skeptical that they were actual consumable.  The photos from the event are in a slideshow here: 

 

I did indeed use the discarded leaves, more picked over than usual because, as said, they were rather more elderly than I am accustomed to seeing in other places, along with some island spinach, to make one of our favorite soups.  This is a richer soup than you would find in many island kitchens; it came originally from Rosemount Plantation in the north of Grenada, by way of Ann VanderHoof.  One note - if you do use callaloo, do NOT put it in your mouth when it's raw.  It does not do permanent damage, but will feel like you have just eaten fiberglass - very unpleasant.

Recipe: Cream of Callaloo Soup

First prepared: Onboard Raconteur in Grenada, late 2011 or early 2012

2 T Vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery with leaves, chopped
1 small cubanelle or green bell pepper, chopped
1 T chopped fresh thyme
salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 bunch callaloo, ribs removed and leaves chopped, or, if you are not in the Caribbean, about 1 pound of spinach, large stems removed
2 cups evaporated milk
1 cup vegetable stock (from cubes is fine)
4 whole cloves
a dash of hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon juice
sour cream, creme fraiche, or cream

Heat the oil and add onion, garlic, celery and pepper.  Cook over medium heat until soft but not brown.  Sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper.
Add callaloo or spinach and stir to combine.  Add the evaporated milk, the stock and the cloves.  Cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
Remove the cloves (if you can find them!) and puree the soup in a blender, a food processor, or with an immersion blender (my preference, both on the boat and on land).  Puree until fairly smooth, but leave some distinct pieces of callaloo or spinach.  If the soup is too thick, think with additional milk, stock or water.
Add hot sauce and/or lemon juice as desired.  Pour soup into warm bowls and swirl in a spoonful of sour cream, creme fraiche or cream.

This serves 4 people generously.