Peanut Stew @MaddieDayAuthor #giveaway

MADDIE DAY here, with a recipe from Murder at Cape Costumers!

This dish, which I learned from friends who lived in West Africa before I did, isn't exactly a summery August meal. But the newest Cozy Capers Book Group mystery - out August 26! -  takes place at Halloween, so a hearty dish is perfect for the book season. Neli, Mac's sister-in-law, makes peanut stew for family Sunday dinner in the book.

West African Peanut Stew

Neli makes this stew for the family on the day before Halloween. Versions of this stew are eaten all over west Africa.

Ingredients

(Not all ingredients shown.)

2 chicken thighs and 1 breast, all boneless, cut into chunks

4 tablespoons cooking oil such as olive oil or canola, divided

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

4 large garlic cloves, chopped

3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger (from a 2-3-inch piece)

6 cups peeled 1/2-inch-cubed sweet potato (about 3 large)

28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon fish sauce

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

4 cups chicken broth, divided

1 whole habanero pepper or hot sauce

1 cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter at room temperature

chopped greens

1/2 cup chopped peanuts, optional garnish

 

Directions

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large stew pot or Dutch oven until hot, but not smoking. Brown the chicken over medium-high heat in batches, about 3 minutes per side. Once chicken is browned, set it aside.

Pour 2 additional tablespoons of oil into the pot and add the onions, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring, until fragrant and somewhat softened, about 3 minutes. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and stir.

Return chicken to pot. Add tomatoes, cayenne pepper, fish sauce, tomato paste, and 2 cups chicken broth. If using, enclose habanero in a tea ball and add to the broth.

In a bowl, whisk the peanut butter with the other two cups of broth. 

When fully combined, pour the mixture into the stew pot. Bring the stew to a boil, reduce heat to a steady low simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour, or until chicken is tender.

Stir in chopped greens and cook a few more minutes. 

Season stew with salt and fresh pepper, to taste. Ladle stew into shallow bowls. Garnish generously with peanuts, if desired, and serve with a bottle of hot sauce. (Leftovers freeze well.) Enjoy!

Readers: what hearty stew do you enjoy in the fall? I'll send one commenter your choice of one of the first six Cozy Capers mysteries.

🥜🐔🥜

Scone Cold Dead is out and available wherever books are sold.

Next out, on August 26, will be Murder at Cape Costumers!

My most recent releases are Deadly Crush, 

 Murder at the Rusty Anchor,

 A Case for the Ladies,

and Deep Fried Death, #12 in the Country Store Mysteries.

Check out all my writing.

We hope you'll visit Maddie and her Agatha Award-winning alter ego Edith Maxwell on our web site, sign up for our monthly newsletter, visit us on social media, and check our all our books and short stories.

Maddie Day (aka Edith Maxwell) is a talented amateur chef and holds a PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University. An Agatha Award-winning and bestselling author, she is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America and also writes award-winning short crime fiction. She lives with her beau and sweet cat Martin north of Boston, where she’s currently working on her next mystery when she isn’t cooking up something delectable in the kitchen.