African Peanut Stew

Okay, I'm in trouble.

The sunshine appeared today with the promise of several more days of encore performances.

And I have nothing but soup/stews on the menu.

Weaker women might pull out the grill and ignore the menu.

But not me. No siree.

With soups like this one, the grill is just going to have to wait.

We're having soup.

Even if we have to wear shorts to enjoy it!

African Peanut Stew

(Another hit by Bob's Redmill!)

1 Tb. unsalted butter

1 Tb. EVOO

1 medium yellow or sweet onion, chopped

1 medium green pepper, chopped (I used orange & red)

1 large garlic clove, minced

2 t. packed brown sugar

1 t. fresh ginger, grated

1/2 t. ground cumin

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. cayenne pepper

1 pound yams, such as garnet or jewel, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 (14.5 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (I used home-canned)

2-1/2 cups vegetable stock, divided

1/2 t. sea salt

2 cups cooked cannellini beans, or other white beans

2 Tb. natural peanut butter

1/2 cup unsalted dry-roasted peanuts, chopped

Heat the EVOO/butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, cover, and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bell pepper and garlic, cover, and cook another 5 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, ginger, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and cook, stirring for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the diced yams and stir to coat.

Stir in the tomatoes, 2-1/4 cups of the stock, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Add the beans and cook another 10 minutes.

Combine the peanut butter and remaining stock in a small bowl and stir until smooth. Add to the stew.

For a thicker consistency, puree 1 cup of the stew in a blender or food processor and stir back into the pot. (I did not do this.)

Season to taste with additional salt. Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts and serve.

*A couple of notes...I doubled this recipe and it served all 8 of us, PLUS 2 extra helpings, PLUS left enough leftovers for the Mister's lunch.

Another thing...I HATE YAMS!!!!! Hate really isn't a strong enough word for how I feel about yams, but it's all I've got. Here's the thing. I LOVED this soup! Including the yams!

I think I'm maturing.

No one is more surprised than me.