Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 1 pound lamb stew meat (cut into 1-inch (25-mm) pieces)
  • Few drops red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup peanut oil (plus more for the marinade)
  • 2 small onions (diced)
  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves (crushed and peeled)
  • 2 heaping tablespoons store-bought or homemade tomato paste
  • 1/2 cup hot water
  • 4 to 5 cups water
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 pound butternut squash (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
  • 1/2 pound mixed roots and tubers (such as turnips, potatoes, carrots, yuca, cassava, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
  • 1 small head cabbage (outer leaves removed, cabbage cut into slender 1/2-inch (12-mm) wedges)
  • 1 to 2 habanero peppers (left whole)
  • 4 heaping tablespoons all-natural smooth peanut butter
  • Cooked white rice (for serving)

Instruction

  • To make the stew, toss the meat in a large bowl with several good shakes of vinegar with your thumb held over the bottle opening. Add a modest drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Add half the onions and garlic and set aside for 20 to 30 minutes.
  • In a large stock pot over medium-high heat, heat the peanut oil. Pat the meat dry, then sear on all sides until browned. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining onion and garlic, and sauté just until they are softened but not browned.
  • Scrape the tomato paste into a small bowl and slowly add the 1/2 cup hot water. Stir the mixture into the pot and cook until the sauce thickens and oil glistens on the surface.
  • Add enough stock to cover the onions and garlic (about 4 cups, give or take) plus the bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, partially covered, for about 30 minutes.
  • Add the remaining vegetables, nestling in the larger pieces, and the habanero and simmer until they are tender, about 20 minutes. Add stock if the vegetables are not fully covered. If some vegetables soften faster than others (the squash is likely to cook fastest, and the cabbage more slowly), remove them so they do not fall apart in the stew, and reintroduce them at the end.
  • Remove about 1 cup of the liquid and transfer to a small bowl. Add the peanut butter and stir to dissolve. Pour the mixture back into the pot and simmer 10 more minutes, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. The stew is ready at this point, but can be left to simmer longer to intensify the flavor, stirring in additional stock if the sauce tightens too much. Remove and discard the bay leaf. You can leave the habaneros in the stew but warn guests of their presence. Serve the stew over the white rice.