Pepperpot or Callaloo Soup
By Clover Beadle (aka Mong-ga)
Soups are a great treat on a cool fall or winter day. Here’s an old-time favorite that is enjoyed by many people in the Caribbean. Pepperpot or callaloo consists of tender greens and other vegetables and is typically made with lots of scotch bonnet pepper. I love pepper, but you can remove the seed to make it milder. This callaloo recipe is similar to the one I ate while pregnant with my children in Jamaica. I was excited to pass the recipe on to my daughter Michelle.
Serves: 6 Prep-time: 15 mins Cook Time: 45 mins
Ingredients
2 bunches of callaloo, or spinach (washed and chopped)
2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
1 large onion (chopped)
1 large carrot (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 small green pepper (chopped; use 2 stalks of celery as a substitute)
¼ Caribbean pumpkin (dice in 2-inch pieces; use butternut squash as a substitute)
1 medium cocoyam or yucca root (dice in 2-inch pieces; use 1 large potato as a substitute)
1 cup coconut milk (if canned coconut milk use 1/2 cup)
1 Scotch bonnet pepper (remove seeds if you like mild)
6-8 okra (chopped)
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cube vegetable bouillon (or 2 tablespoons FC’s creole seasoning)
Salt and pepper to taste
6 cups of water
Instructions:
Step1: In a Dutch oven or large soup pot on medium heat, add oil, onion, carrots, and green pepper. Saute until soft.
Step 2: Then add water, chopped pumpkin, cocoyam or taro root, thyme, okra, coconut milk, scotch bonnet pepper, vegetable bouillon, and garlic.
Step 3: Add callaloo greens after vegetables become soft. Cook for about 15 minutes or until the callaloo has broken down.
Enjoy!
Read the following blog to learn more about the history of this soup.
Clover is a retired certified nursing assistant, mother of two sets of twins, grandmother, and wife. She enjoys cooking for her family and creating new recipes. Having faced health challenges such as hypertension and prediabetes, Clover has taken drastic steps to change her diet by reducing sodium and increasing vegetables and healthy grains. Her daughter often describes her as a woman who loves to cook, cooks to love, loves to eat, and eats to live. Clover is originally from Jamacia and now resides in Philadelphia.