A Caribbean twist on greens and eggs

During a recent family getaway to Jamaica, I devoured at least one helping of callaloo every day. Callaloo is both the name of a dish, a staple all over the Caribbean, and the vegetable it is made with: the leafy greens from amaranth, taro and other plants, depending on the region.

Throughout my stay, I enjoyed callaloo at breakfast, lunch and dinner, prepared various ways — always with onions, scallions, garlic, thyme and a bit of Scotch bonnet pepper, but sometimes simmered with tomatoes, or with bits of red bell pepper or shaved carrot, and sometimes topped with crispy bits of bacon. I enjoyed it every which way, but what struck me most was how tasty it was with eggs in the morning. It got me wondering why I don’t regularly include leafy greens at breakfast, so I resolved to start.

When I got home, I whipped up a batch of greens that was at least close to what I had in Jamaica. I couldn’t find amaranth or taro leaves, so I substituted a combination of spinach and Swiss chard to approximate the dish’s tender but firm texture. It’s important to use mature spinach here rather than baby spinach, which would turn soft way too quickly. Because I enjoyed the way bits of stem added texture to the callaloo dishes I tried, I included the tender stems of the greens I used, too. I sautéed onion, scallion, hot pepper (I used habanero because I could not find Scotch bonnet), as well as red bell pepper for color and a touch of sweetness. I added the firmer chard stems to cook for a couple of minutes, then stirred in garlic, thyme, salt and pepper, and finally, piled on the greens, letting them steam in the pan until they were just wilted but still bright.

I savored these flavorful greens every morning for a week — topped with a fried egg, sprinkled with scallions and served with a thick slice of whole grain toast alongside. To reheat the leftovers, I simply warmed a portion in the pan before cooking the egg.

I came away with a lot from my Jamaica trip: I took in sun and surf and spent quality time with family, but one of the best things I brought back was a newfound love for greens and eggs for breakfast.