can anyone tell me how to make the best callaloo soup?

Question

west indian soup made from callaloo leaves (i think)

Answer 1

According to the expert on Caribbean & African Cooking, Jessica Harris:

CALLALOO SOUP

SERVES: 6

Callaloo is the name of this traditional West Indian soup as well as of the large fan-shaped leafy greens--sometimes called dasheen leaves or taro root leaves--that are its chief component. The greens taste like a cross between spinach and cabbage.

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic
4 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
1/2 pound callaloo (see Note) or spinach, stemmed, leaves cut into 1/2 -inch ribbons
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons basil
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons celery leaves
4 cups water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter in the oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until the fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add the callaloo, basil, parsley and celery leaves and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the greens are wilted and barely tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over moderate heat until the greens are soft, about 10 minutes. Puree the soup in batches in a blender until perfectly smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan, add the cream and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and then serve in soup plates.

MAKE AHEAD: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1-2 days.

NOTES:
Callaloo leaves are available in West Indian and Asian markets.
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Answer 2

First the wikky def then one of many varying recipes:

Callaloo (sometimes calaloo) is a Caribbean dish that is most popular in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, and Jamaica (known as pepperpot). The main ingredient of which is a leaf vegetable, traditionally either amaranth (known by many local names including callaloo or bhaji), or taro or Xanthosoma species (both known by many local names including callaloo, coco, tannia, or dasheen bush). Because the leaf vegetable used in some regions may be locally called "callaloo" or "callaloo bush", some confusion can arise among the different vegetables and with the dish itself. Outside of the Caribbean, spinach is occasionally used.

[edit] Plant sources for Callaloo leaves

* Taro - also called dasheen in the West Indies the leaves of this root crop are used in the Trinidadian version of the dish
* Tannia or Malanga called calalu in Puerto Rico
* Amaranth species include Amaranthus spinosus used in the West Indies and A. flavus is a yellow variety used in Brazil and known as caruru
* Pokeweed species Phtolacca octandra or West Indian foxglove
* Nightshade species Solanum nodiflorum

Callaloo is almost always made with okra and dasheen or spinach. There are many variations of callaloo which may include coconut milk, crab, Caribbean lobster, meats, chile peppers, and other seasonings. The ingredients are added and simmered down to a soup or stew consistency. When done, callaloo is dark green in color and is served as a soup or a side dish which may be used as a gravy for other food.

Callaloo is widely known throughout the Caribbean and has a distinctively Caribbean origin, created by African slaves using ideas of the indigenous people along with both African (okra) and indigenous (Xanthosoma) plants.
INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound callaloo leaves or spinach
* 6 cups chicken stock
* 1 onion, chopped
* 1/2 pound salt beef, fat removed and diced
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons minced shallots
* 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 green chile pepper, chopped
* 1 cup okra
* 1/2 pound crabmeat

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the thick stems of the callaloo leaves, chop roughly, and put into a large saucepan. Add the chicken stock, onion, beef, black pepper, shallots, thyme, chili pepper, and crab meat. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 35 minutes.
2. Add the okra, and cook for 8 minutes.
3. Remove the chili pepper. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Reheat, and adjust seasonings.

Answer 3

I love both fruits and fruit and vegetables better, however they look and taste. You desire a little of both.

Answer 4

In the event it's a fruit it includes seeds, otherwise it's a vegetable. And vegetables are usually grown in the ground while fruits are grown in trees.

Answer 5

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/13552/callaloo-soup.html

Don't fancy it myself though. If I did make it I'd probably leave out the okra and put in piles of paprika.