A rich stew with a tempting combination of flavors – garlic, ginger, herbs and a little bit of spice – from the New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant book.
West African Groundnut Stew
Moosewood Restaurant puts out some great cookbooks for Lent. Their restaurant serves vegetarian and seafood dishes – but no other meat. Their cookbooks follow this as well. This recipe is from the New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant book. Popular Variations at Moosewood Restaurant: Substitute 3 cups of chopped green cabbage, and 1 ½ to 2 cups chopped okra for the eggplant, and add 1 cup of apple or apricot juice and some chopped fresh cilantro leaf.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 3 tbsp grated fresh gingerroot
- 2 tbsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp cayenne or to taste
- 4 cup chopped onions
- 2 to matoes chopped
- 4 cup peeled and cubed eggplant
- ¼ to ½ cup vegetable stock or water
- 1 cup chopped zucchini or yellow summer squash
- 2 green peppers coarsely chopped
- 2 cups tomato juice
- ½ cup peanut butter
Instructions
- Steam or boil the sweet potato cubes until just tender.
- Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, ginger, and spices in oil for one minute. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften. Add the tomatoes, eggplant and a small amount of vegetable stock or water and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the zucchini and peppers and continue to simmer until all of the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the sweet potatoes and add them to the stew along with the tomato juice and peanut butter. Stir well. Simmer on very low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Serve on rice, couscous or millet. At Moosewood we garnish this stew with hard-boiled egg halves, and pineapple and banana slices.
