Rinsing chard (yellow stems) and beet greens (red stems) for the African pineapple stew.
It’s been several weeks since I last had a taste of that yummy African stew that Joyce introduced me to. The dish combines greens (of all kinds) with crushed pineapple, peanut butter, cilantro, onions and garlic. A very hearty main dish that’s substantial enough to pair with wild rice.
I recently discovered that the recipe is also included in the famous Moosewood cookbook by Mollie Katzen. You can find many variations of the recipe online.
Here’s one from a blog called “Fat Free Vegan Kitchen“:
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African Pineapple Peanut Stew
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1-2 bunches kale (4-8 cups sliced)
2 cups undrained canned crushed pineapple, in juice (20-ounce can)
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce
1/4 cup chopped parsley
salt to taste
crushed skinless peanuts
chopped scallions
Prepare the kale by washing it and removing the large center stem from each leaf. Stack the leaves on a cutting board and slice them into one-inch thick slices.
In a large, covered wok or Dutch oven (non-stick preferred), sauté the onions for about 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onions are lightly browned. Add the garlic, and stir for another minute.Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring a couple of times, until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt to taste, and serve topped with crushed peanuts and scallions, over rice or other grain. (This makes about 4 servings.)
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I used the beet greens from the red beets of two weeks ago, in addition to the beet greens from last week’s yellow beets. To that, I added an entire bag of Trader Joe’s “a chard of many colors.”
If you look at beet greens, they look like chard. That’s because beets are related to chard. I just learned that from reading “The Edible Salad Garden” by Rosalind Creasy. I bought the book eight years ago. Now that I have my own house and am settling down, I’m finally in a position to put the book’s material into practice.
So colorful and beautiful. The chard and beet greens sit ready for stewing.
