Pepperpot

I picked up a can of callaloo a couple of months back, but couldn't figure out what to do with it.  Finally, I just looked that the recipe on the can and decided to make something like that, with a lot of variations, as you will soon see.

So what is "callaloo"?  Well, it is basically Jamaican spinach.  I am pretty sure it is native to Jamaica, like allspice.  If you can't find any callaloo, just use frozen spinach.  My can contains a pound supposedly, so I think that is one package of spinach.

Ok, so what is "pepperpot"?  It's a Jamaican stew, broadly with meat, callaloo, scotch bonnet peppers, and a relatively thin broth.  As the name suggests, it can be quite hot.

The recipe is fairly broad, depending on the ingredients you have around the house.  I replaced okra with some German white asparagus I wanted to use up.  I used 1 quart of veggie broth and 1 quart of fish broth (via bonito bag).  If you are using beef, you might go light on the beef broth to avoid overwhelming the dish.  I replaced all the meat with salt fish.  I added Pickapeppa sauce as my salt and umami source, but you could use soy sauce or worchestershire sauce.  I found the broth tasty, but it needed more depth and sweetness and I achieved this with vinegar.  I started with my hot sauce vinegar, but realized that the dish was getting way too hot, so switched to regular white vinegar..

Salt fish is something that I have started to use more often.  It is a great way to preserve fish when freezing it.  Frozen fish tends to be mushy, but salt fish thaws out rather firm, so a much more pleasing texture.  You have to soak off all the salt, but that is no big deal.  Salt fish costs about the same as regular frozen fish.  Go for it.  I added the fish halfway through to cooking to avoid softening it too much.

Keep tasting the pepperpot as you cook and fish out the scotch bonnet (or habanero) when the desired heat is achieved.  If you are sensitive to heat, leave the pepper out and adjust the heat with hot sauce in the end.

If you use shrimp, add it in the last 15 minutes to avoid overcooking it.

Pepperpot

1 lb mild green (callaloo, spinach, etc)
1 lb meat, with bones for more flavor
6 okras, asparagus, carrots, or whatever
2 quarts broth or water
1 onion, chopped
1/3 tsp ground pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, stem removed
1/4 cup coconut milk or whole milk
1 tsp thyme
1 Tbsp soy sauce, Pickapeppa sauce, or Worchestershire sauce
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vinegar

1) Dump everything in a big pot except the vinegar
2) Bring to a boil and simmer 1h uncovered.  Check the heat level and remove the pepper when you wsih.
3) Add vinegar to taste.
4) Eat with corn bread, fried plantains, or whatever.