Jamaican Callaloo (Spinach) With Diced Ham

By Chris De La Rosa
Culinary Columnist

Have you ever used canned ham? With a wonderful harvest of Jamaican Callaloo (chorai bhagi|amaranth) from my garden, I decided to put canned ham to use… to add some additional flavor to one of my favorite dishes.

I always plant, spinach, collard greens, Jamaican callaloo, bok choi and/or Swiss chard in my garden every year — such is my love for ‘greens’. Traditionally I grew up eating Jamaican callaloo, cooked with pieces of salted cod (saltfish)and simmered in coconut milk. And while that recipe is indeed a classic, this one is just as tasty.

You’ll Need…
6-8 cups Jamaican callaloo (prepared)
1 can chopped ham (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 tablespoon olive oil (or coconut oil)
1/2 medium onion (sliced)
3 sprigs thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 small spicy pepper (your choice)
1/3 teaspoon salt (adjust)
1/2 cup diced tomato (I used grape tomatoes from my garden)
1 teaspoon lime or lemon juice
2 cloves garlic (diced)

Wash and trim off the flowers and thick stems from the callaloo (discard), then separate the leaves from the stems (tender stems). Roll the leaves together and chop it into about 1/4 of an inch ribbons. Trim the skin off the tender stems and chop the now-cleaned stems about 1/4-inch as well. Wash everything again and allow to drain.

Heat the oil in a wide pan on a medium flame, then add the onion, garlic, thyme, black pepper and spicy pepper(I used a scotch bonnet). Turn the heat down to low and cook gently for 3-4 minutes.

Remove the ham from the can, drain well and give it a quick rinse under cool water. Then dice into 1/4-inch pieces and add to the pot. Turn the heat up to low/medium and cook for about 5 minutes. The goal is to render out some of the fat and to brown the edges of the ham.

Turn the heat to medium/high and start adding the trimmed/washed callaloo to the pot. Stir well. It will wilt down so don’t stress about it all not fitting in the pot.

Since the ham will already have some salt, you can add the salt now, but taste, later on, to make sure it’s enough to your liking. Turn the heat down to med/low, cover the pot and cook for about 8 minutes. After that it’s time to add the diced tomato and lemon juice and cook with the lid off until all the liquid (it will spring naturally) is burnt off. Depending on how ‘cooked’ you like your callaloo, you may need to leave the stove on a bit longer, with the lid on.

I gave it a further 6 minutes after I removed the lid off the pot. While not the traditional way of cooking Jamaican callaloo with saltfish, this ham version is quite tasty and well worth the test-drive. If pork is not your thing, you can always use smoked turkey or salted cod, as in the traditional recipe.

This recipe is courtesy of Gourmand Award winning cookbook author and founder of CaribbeanPot.com, Chris De La Rosa. With over 450 printable recipes with step by step cooking instructions and demo videos, PLUS over 1 million social/fan connections globally every month, CaribbeanPot.com is the world’s #1 resource of Caribbean Culinary Culture. Connect with Chis on Instagram: www.instagram.com/caribbeanpot/.