Recipe

Creole Callaloo With Roasted Red Pepper Rouille

Ingredients

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 smoked ham hock, about 8 to 10 ounces
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 quarts crab or fish stock
2 quarts water
Essence
3 bay leaves
6 cups roughly chopped assorted greens, such as collards, mustards, turnip, chard, dandelion, beet greens, or spinach
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over for shells and cartilage
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 egg *
Salt
Crushed red pepper
Cayenne
Coconut

In a large pot, over high heat, add the 1 tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the ham hock and onions. Saute for 2 minutes. Stir in the stock and water and bring to a boil. Season with Essence and add the bay leaves and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Fold in the greens and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes. Stir in the crabmeat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove the ham hock and shred the meat off the bone back into the soup. In a food processor, combine the roasted pepper, garlic, cilantro and egg. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt, pepper flakes and cayenne. With the machine running, slowly add the remaining olive oil and continue to process until the mixture forms a thick emulsion. Serve hot in bowls, allowing 1 generous cup of the callaloo per portion. Drizzle each serving with a generous 3 tablespoons of the Rouille and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of coconut.
*RAW EGG WARNING
The American Egg Board states: "There have been warnings against consuming raw or lightly cooked eggs on the grounds that the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria responsible for a type of food poisoning....Healthy people need to remember that there is a very small risk and treat eggs and other raw animal foods accordingly. Use only properly refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs. Avoid mixing yolks and whites with the shell."