African Stewed Spinach Recipes

AFRICAN STEWED SPINACH

Steps:

• Pour oil into a pot and heat on medium heat then saute the onions until translucent. Add in tomatoes and fry until acidity is all gone. Be sure to stir from time to time so the tomatoes don't burn.
• Add crayfish into the pot and stir. This will bring out a lovely aroma from the crayfish.
• Scatter in the Maggi, sprinkle in salt, add smoked turkey and dried fish or whatever meat/fish you are using. If it is too dry at this point, add a tablespoon of water and stir.
• Add in the spinach and mix well with the other ingredients until well incorporated. Let is sit on the fire for 5 minutes, as you stir lightly from time to time.
• Serve warm with boiled plantains, cassava (yuca roots), yams or even rice.

GHANAIAN SPINACH STEW WITH SWEET PLANTAINS

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, warm the palm oil over medium heat, and add the onions, garlic, ginger, chile and a couple pinches of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown and sweet, about 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and a few generous pinches of salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and partly cover the pan. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has cooked to a rich tomato-soup consistency, about 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pulse the egusi or pumpkin seeds in a food processor or blender to a fine powder, until it just starts to get clumpy. (Do not overprocess into a butter.) Remove to a bowl.
• When the tomatoes have reduced, add the shrimp powder (or smoked paprika and fish sauce to taste), and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, to the bowl of egusi powder until it is a loose paste. Add the egusi paste on top of the tomato sauce, and spread it out. Cover the pan, and cook 5 minutes.
• Stir the sauce all together; it will look like a thick porridge. Add a few splashes of water, and increase heat to a boil. Stir in the spinach, until wilted and tender. Taste, season with salt (or more fish sauce, if using) and serve with boiled sweet plantains.

AFRICAN SPINACH AND PEANUT BUTTER STEW

Steps:

• Slice the onions and fry in oil until soft.
• Peel the tomatoes in boiling water (or use tinned tomatoes). Slice and add to the onions.
• Wash, trim and chop the spinach coarsely.
• Add to the stew and cook, covered, over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking.
• Thin the peanut butter with hot water to make a smooth paste.
• Add to the stew.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes, stirring and adding water if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Serve over steamed rice, polenta, or mashed potatoes, in fact, you could eat it with anything, really!

WEST AFRICAN PEANUT STEW WITH SWEET POTATO & SPINACH

Steps:

• Cook the rice according to package instructions.
• While the rice cooks, make the stew. Set a medium soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Add the broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, ginger, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once the stew comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until the sweet potatoes are tender, 8-10 minutes.
• Stir in the peanut butter and the spinach. Stew is done when the peanut butter has distributed and the spinach has wilted, about 2 minutes. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
• Serve with a scoop of brown rice and garnish with cilantro and peanuts.

SPICY, HOT AFRICAN CHICKEN WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Rinse off chicken and cut off extra fat. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.
• Peel garlic cloves (4-6).
• Wash and dry spinach.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot. Keep heat low so oil does not smoke.
• Add garlic to oil in pan and heat until brown, remove with spoon and set aside (be careful)
• Add chicken to pan and turn heat to medium.
• Put a good sear on the chicken until it is browned.
• Add half water to pan and deglaze. This will get the chicken flavor off the bottom of the pan.
• Add bouillon and pepper to water and bring to a boil. You now have your chicken simmering in a broth.
• Reduce pan liquid by half. Cook until chicken is falling off the bone.
• Add peanut butter, browned garlic, and paprika.
• Add spinach and stir until all ingredient have integrated (10 minutes at least).
• Watch it close so it doesn't burn.
• The stew should be thick when you remove it. If its runny then let it simmer until it thickens.

NORTH AFRICAN CHICKEN AND SPINACH STEW

Steps:

• PLACE the chicken in a large pot and cover it with water. Add the celery, carrot, onion, and bay leaves and season with 1 tablespoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
• REMOVE the chicken to a deep dish or bowl and let it drain. Strain the stock into a large bowl or pan and set aside. Transfer the vegetables from the strainer to a blender (remove the bay leaves), add the garlic, and puree until completely smooth. Set aside.
• TO make the spinach stew, in a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. When it's bubbling slightly, add the vegetable puree. Warm it through, about 2 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper, and the cinnamon stick, then add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved stock and bring to a simmer. Cook to let the flavors develop, about 15 minutes. Reduce the heat and keep warm (remove the cinnamon stick before serving).
• MEANWHILE, when the chicken is cool enough to handle, pat it completely dry and break it down into 8 pieces: 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 2 breasts, then split the breasts in half. Place the chicken pieces in a large dish. Combine the granulated onion, granulated garlic, paprika, cayenne, oregano, and 1 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Completely coat the chicken in this dry rub.
• MELT the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add the chicken pieces and sear until charred in spots, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• SERVE the chicken with rice and a generous ladle of spinach stew. Squeeze lemon over the plate if desired.