I had an entire blog post planned and then this happened–> my son crawled for the first time today.     I rarely speak about my private life but as I started to write I realized my heart was filled with melancholy and all I could think of was his new found freedom.   While I watched him wriggle his way across the carpet, my emotions changed from glee and pride to sadness in an instant.    Long before I became a parent, I’ve always heard “it goes by so quickly” and this was my moment of realization that the past 9 months have flown by and the future will be the same.   Don’t get me wrong, I’m over the moon with pride at each development, as tiny as it may be (holding his bottle finally) but I’m not ready for him to be a big boy just yet.    But life will go on whether I am ready or not, so I look to the future and I will savor every moment, live in the present and take lots of pictures just in case I need to revisit the past. 

Since there’s no way to smoothly transition I’m just going to jump right to the Callaloo Patty.  Callaloo, a leafy green that is often used in Guyana and the Caribbean, has a strong flavor that is typical of other leafy greens such as spinach or collard greens.

  While most West Indian grocery stores carry canned callaloo, it is very difficult to find fresh callaloo so when I was given a giant bunch I knew I had to create a recipe for my blog.   I decided to make patties and these turned out great!  I added shredded carrots and lots of onions to compliment the slight bitterness flavor of the callaloo and the tomatoes brought it all together.   Enjoy!

Callaloo Patty

Filling:

6 cups chopped callaloo (a large bunch)

2 whole carrots, shredded

1 roma tomato, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp thyme, finely chopped

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

2 vegetable bouillons

1 tbsp canola oil

¼ cup water

Salt (optional)

Pastry:

3 cups all purpose flour

6 oz cold butter, cut into cubes

2 egg yolks + 1 for basting

7 tbsp cold water

To make the pastry:

Place flour into a large bowl.  Rub butter into flour using fingertips until mixture resembles small breadcrumbs.  Make a well and add egg yolks and water.  Mix to form dough.    Form dough into a ball and then flatten, cover with cling wrap and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.  (I used my food processor to quicken the process)

To make the filling:

Over medium heat add canola oil.  When oil is hot, add onions and stir fry for 3-5 minutes or until softened.   Next add onion, thyme and pepper flakes then cook for 30 seconds while stirring.   Add tomatoes, carrots, callaloo and crumbled bouillon.   Stir fry for 5-7 minutes then add water.  Allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes until callaloo is tender.   Taste and add salt if needed.  Remove from heat and cool before filling the pastry.

To make patties:

Prepare egg wash by mixing 1 egg yolk with 1 tablespoon of water.

While filling cools, remove the dough from the refrigerator.  On a lightly floured surface roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness.   Cut 3 inch circles (you can use a biscuit cutter or a glass).  Roll ½ of the discs about 1 inch larger, this will be the top of the pastry.   Place a spoonful of filling onto the smaller pastry discs leaving a border around the ends.  Brush ends with the egg wash; place a larger pastry disc on the top.  Press the edges with a fork to seal.  Using a fork prick the top of the patties, this will release the steam that will build up in the patties and prevent it from bursting while in the oven.  Place patties on an ungreased baking pan.  Brush tops with egg wash, then place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  These are best served warm.

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