African Peanut Stew

African Peanut Stew

If you are looking for something to shake up your dinner repertoire, this African Peanut Stew is it!  This unique Fresh Food in a Flash recipe filled with vegetables will have your family asking for more of this healthy dish.  On top of delicious, it’s super easy to make. A one-pot meal.  What more do you want?  Maybe some biscuits or fresh made bread to go with it?  OK, check out my One-Minute French Baguette Dough for another delicious twist.

Clockwise: African Peanut Stew, Italian Sausage & Tortellini Soup, Kabocha Squash Soup with Candied Pecans.

Our January Soups, Stews and Biscuits Class was so much fun.  We sampled the African Peanut Stew, a Kabocha Squash Soup with Candied Pecans, an Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup and a Clam Chowder.  I thought they were all delicious, but I’ve been fascinated by the African Peanut Stew since I discovered it.  I kept reading about this stew believed to be from West Africa and knew I had to try it.  So now I feel the need to share this recipe with the world.  Well at least with my Fresh Food in a Flash world.

Prepping ingredients for African Peanut Stew

African Peanut Stew contains two surprising ingredients –  peanut butter and yams, which is what attracted me to this stew.  I had never heard of peanut butter in a stew.  I love Thai peanut sauce with chicken sate, but this was different.  The combination of the sweet, creamy yams with the heat of the jalapeno and the nutty peanut flavor really make this stew special.

Combining frozen stock and tomatoes to veg base.

In our class we made fresh vegetable stock in one hour, but at home I had some frozen turkey stock which I used. Guess when I made that?  If using fresh made unsalted stock, add 1/2 tsp salt when you add the stock and taste for seasoning later.  You will probably need more salt.  Don’t be afraid of the salt, as it’s needed to bring out the flavors of all the vegetables. Just add a little at a time.

Look at the beautiful color of African Peanut Stew.

You can make African Peanut Stew on a weeknight or you could make it ahead and let the flavors meld before you serve.  You can serve it as a soup or serve over rice.  Enjoy!

Pam garnishing African Peanut Stew.

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African Peanut Stew

• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded & minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs gingerroot, grated
• 4 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 14.5-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound yams, peeled and cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup peanuts, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley leaves
• salt  to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a soup pot on low heat, add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add cumin and stir until fragrant.  Then add in the bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic and ginger.  Cook for a minute.

2. Add in stock, tomatoes, bay leaf and yams.  Bring to a boil, then turn to low and simmer until yams are tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Add in beans, then remove 1/2 cup liquid from the pot to a small bowl.  Stir the peanut butter into the broth until smooth and then return this mixture to the pot. (Don’t miss this step.)  Season with salt and pepper, Remove the bay leaf and serve, garnishing with the peanuts and parsley.

Servings: 8    326 calories per serving