While vacationing last week I discovered that the National Dish of Saint Maarten on the French side is Callaloo Soup (Caribbean Greens). It’s made with pork cubes, chicken stock, okra, hot pepper (habanero or Scotch Bonnet are typically used), onion, callaloo leaves (spinach like, so I used spinach) and other ingredients. This soup is really delicious and a great way to use up some of the okra I froze from this summer.
2 pounds fresh kale
1/2 pound fresh spinach
12 okra pods
1/4 pound salt pork, cut into thin strips
1/2 pound fresh lean pork, cubed
2 onions, thinly sliced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 hot pepper, seeds removed, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
6 cups chicken stock
Pull all stems from kale and spinach. Discard stems and roughly chop the leaves. Wash leaves thoroughly. Rough chop the kale. Place salt port in a large, heavy soup kettle and sauté over medium heat for 10 minutes, rendering fat. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat.
Add pork cubes and onions to pan. Sauté over medium heat until cubes are brown and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add kale, spinach, okra, black pepper and hot pepper. Add thyme and stock. Cover and simmer 2 1/2 hours. Make sure to remove salt pork before serving.
Tags: candy onion, chicken stock, hot pepper, kale, okrs, pork, spinach, thyme
