Vegetarian Groundnut Stew

The introduction to this recipe from Simply in Season states that it’s “inspired by peanut stews served in West Africa.” Indeed, I have been to West and East Africa, and in both areas of the continent I’ve been inspired by their use of peanuts (called groundnuts) in savory dishes. One recipe that I really wish I had gotten was sort of like a green bean casserole only with peanuts. It sounds kind of disgusting but it was awesome!

For this dish, you’ll need to get out a large frypan, saute 2 C of chopped onion, 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 T of olive oil until translucent. Then, add 3 C winter squash (peeled and chopped), 2 C cabbage (chopped), ground red pepper to taste, and saute’ until flavors are mixed.

Add 3 C tomato juice, 1 C apple juice, and 1-2 tsp ginger root (peeled and minced; or a dash of dried ginger). Cover the pan and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. At this point you are going to wonder how in the world this is going to taste in the end.

Add 1-2 C green beans and simmer 5 more minutes.

Stir in 1/2 C peanut butter and simmer at very low heat until ready to serve. This can be served atop brown rice, millet, etc. and if you want to get creative you can add chopped green onions, parsley, cilantro, fruit, crushed peanuts, flaked coconut, etc. Or be lazy like me and just serve it on top of basmati rice.

The verdict: As I waited for the rice cooker to “pop,” I told DH that I had some serious doubts about this dish. But when I tasted it, I was amazed at how good it was. I never would have thought to use that combination of flavors. DH had the first bowl and said “this isn’t bad.” Then he went for seconds and thirds and said “this is really good, surprisingly.” He even suggested that we make it as a dish to pass for one of our upcoming Christmas parties.