Greens in Peanut Sauce

From time to time, people tell me that they love the Simply in Season cookbook, but they don’t know what to make from it. Some of the recipes scare them, so they are glad that I’m doing this project so they can see how the dish turns out.

Greens in Peanut Sauce is one of those recipes that I tried almost as soon as I bought the book. I had just returned from Malawi and was used to the flavor combination. This has since become one of my favorite ways to make kale, and since I haven’t reviewed this recipe yet I have a good excuse to make it again!

1. In a large skillet, saute in 1 T of oil a chopped onion and 2-3 cloves of minced garlic. If you’d like, you can add a medium tomato and simmer for 2-4 minutes. I have done this with halved cherry tomatoes before and it’s a nice addition but not completely necessary.
2. Add 1/2 tsp ground coriander, 12 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cloves, and cook and stir for 2 minutes.
3. Add 1 lb of kale or collards (8 C) and 1/2 C water, steam until greens are soft (but not mushy, there’s nothing worse than mushy greens). Stir occasionally.
4. Combine 2-3 T chunky peanut butter and 1-2 tsp hot water and add to the greens, stirring and cooking to coat evenly.

This can be used as a side dish or on its own (just add polenta or rice).

The verdict: Well, the bad news is that I realized halfway through that I don’t have any peanut butter in the house. The good news is that it tasted just fine without it. DH said he actually prefers it this way.