Peanut Butter Stew with Chicken and Tomatoes
Adapted from "African Chicken Stew" in the idiosyncratic and rewarding Sumptuous Indulgence on a Shoestring by David Yeadon (ISBN 0-8015-0962-9).
This is as close to a direct transcription of the approach I employed at my recent SemiAntiSocial as I could manage. Quantities are approximate and can be varied to taste. A vegetarian version seems plausable, but hasn't really been tried yet.
INGREDIENTS:
- Three pounds boneless chicken parts (I favor thighs--specifically, Trader Joe's ice-glazed frozen pack--note that these need to be partially thawed and patted dry if you're gonna successfully brown them)
- Three tablespoons olive oil
- Two large onions, chopped
- Wine or sherry
- A two-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped fine, or a generous tablespoon of ginger paste
- Four to six cloves of garlic, or 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic paste
- Four jalapeno or serrano peppers, minced.
- 1/2 teaspoon Marjoram (I dunno--Yeadon says to use it, so I do.)
- 1 28-oz can whole tomatoes
- 1 heaping teaspoon chicken Better Than Bullion(TM) paste or two bullion cubes
- 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter
- 1/2 cup boiling water
Brown the chicken parts in the olive oil in an eight-quart saucepan over high heat. Remove.
Deglaze the pan with a couple teaspoons of the sherry, and brown the onions until they start to soften.
Add the ginger, garlic, peppers, and marjoram. Heat, stirring frequently, for a minute or two.
Add the tomatoes with juice, break up the tomatoes with the spatula a little, and bring the mixture back to a boil.
Mix the bullion, peanut butter, and water together in a bowl or measuring cup, and stir the mixture into the pot.
Chop the chicken into one- or two-inch pieces and add them to the pot, along with a few more teaspoons of sherry
Let simmer for about forty minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve over basmati.
