African Peanut Stew

For this week’s recipe, Danny prepared a hearty peanut butter stew that originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali, and is a staple dish in Western Africa. It traveled across an ocean to the Atlantic Seaboard with the African slaves, soldiers and servants who helped colonize the New World, and to France with colonials returning from Senegal and Gambia to form the basis for local variations, Virginia peanut stew and sauce d’arachide.

Peanut stew is known in various West African languages as “maafe” or “tigadegena” - literally peanut butter sauce. Peanut stew for Africans in America in the 1600s was the equivalent of nourishing “mushes” consumed by Native Americans (corn mush) and English settlers (oatmeal), said culinary historian Michael Twitty. The peanut stew we enjoyed on a cold winter night was filling to the belly and satisfying to the taste buds, with complex sweet-and-spiced flavors that warmed us.

Although Danny prepared this luscious melange of spices, honey, peanut butter, sweet potato, black-eyed peas, and veggies as a meatless dish, it commonly is prepared with lamb, beef, and chicken and served with white rice. Preparation takes about an hour and a half, including prep and cooking time. This dish is based on a 2020 Wall Street Journal recipe that Danny tweaked to enrich it with heart-healthy superfoods.

All ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

Ingredients: For the spice paste:

2 yellow onions, roughly chopped 5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped Thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped 1 tsp chile powder 2 tsp coriander 1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground mustard seeds ½ fresh red Scotch bonnet chile (op tional) Pinch of salt

For the stew:

2 tbsp oil, preferably peanut 1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 1 (14-oz) can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed 3 tbsp tomato paste 1 (14-oz) can of diced tomatoes 3 cups vegetable stock ½ smooth natural peanut butter Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8 oz spinach, chopped 1 tbsp lemon juice Handful of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped 2 scallions, finely chopped 1 fresh red chile, seeded and finely sliced 1 cup chopped cashews Honey for drizzling

Preparation:

Step 1: Make the spice paste: Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend into a coarse paste.

Step 2: Heat peanut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium- low heat. Add spice paste and saute, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if it sticks to pan until lightly browned and fragrant, 10 minutes.

Step 3: Add sweet potatoes, blackeyed peas and tomato paste to saucepan, and mix to combine. Stir in canned tomatoes, vegetable stock, and peanut butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to boil then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes are tender, 25 minutes.

Step 4: Remove pan from heat and stir in spinach, leaving it to wilt in pan, 5 minutes. To finish, add lemon juice, taste and adjust seasoning, drizzle with honey to taste. Sprinkle cilantro, scallions, cashews and sliced chiles over top and serve.

Step 5: Enjoy!