One day, many years ago, when I was visiting my Aunt Rae in her
small rural village in Vermont, the two of us went to the Saxton’s River Inn
for lunch.
That was during the heyday of the Inn. It was owned and managed
by Averill, and it was a top-notch operation. Beautifully appointed rooms, a
great bar where all the locals gathered, and an excellent restaurant.
That day at lunch, we both ordered something that was not the
norm on any Vermont menu – something the chef called generically “African Peanut
Stew.” Keeping in mind that Africa is not a country, but a vast continent,
I did some research and discovered many groundnut stews made in different
countries throughout Africa, but this one most resembles dovi from Zimbabwe.
What a revelation it was! A thick, creamy, tomato-y concoction
that had me begging for more. I wanted to make it at home!
Aunt Rae flagged down Averill – who was always visible in the
house – and asked if we could get the recipe. She said she would talk to the
chef and see what she could do.
As we finished lunch, Averill returned to our table and brought a
small scrap of paper with this written in it: “Boil chicken. Save stock.
Skin/shred chicken. Add onions. Add cayenne. Thicken w/2 large cans tomato paste
and # fresh peanut butter. Return shredded chicken. Serve hot.” I took the
chef’s notes and, combined with the information I found online, came up with my
own version.
It’s simple and different. In fact, I have never seen it on any
menu since, although we recently took it to a potluck and two different people
said they made their own versions, each slightly different from mine.
~ David
Dovi, a Groundnut Stew
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Sippity Sup
July 22, 2017 at 5:44 pmGround almonds in Sicilian "pesto" sauces always seemed more exotic than the typical Italian pestos. That's probably because geographically speaking Trapini (the largest port city on Sicily) is closer to several African ports than it is to any part of mainland Italy. This stew seems to support the idea that ground nuts in sauces and stews were imported culinary ideas from Africa. Fascinating. GREG
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:20 pmI like your way of thinking, Greg – I have always been a big fan of the North African influences in Sicilian cooking.
John | heneedsfood
July 23, 2017 at 6:55 amThey were some very basic instructions the chef gave you, and I like your personal additions. Nice move with the tamari! I bed this is delicious.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:21 pmThey were basic, but they definitely gave me the right direction, John!
Valentina
July 23, 2017 at 8:03 amThis sounds so incredibly interesting and delicious! Love that the chef brought you the scrap of paper with those instructions. When I've done this sort of thing in the past, I've taken messy, quick notes and could barely read them when I got home. Love how you changed it up, too.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:22 pmI have only asked the chef for a recipe three times, I think. One took me into the kitchen to show me how to make the dish, another (for a cookie) game me a recipe to feed thousands (!), and this one was so simple. I love each of these recipes and am working on making the cookie recipe a reasonable batch size!
Gerlinde de Broekert
July 23, 2017 at 11:00 amThere are several variations of this soup. I make a vegetarian version but I am intrigued by your delicious looking soup.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:23 pmI have to look into the vegetarian versions, Gerlinde!
Unknown
July 23, 2017 at 1:58 pmI have made an African vegetarian peanut stew and it was delicious. I'll need to replace the chicken with a different protein then this one will be perfect for me.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:25 pmEmma – first, I would think the peanuts would be a great source of protein, but I also wonder about adding chickpeas and spinach. I think they would be amazing.
Cheri Savory Spoon
July 23, 2017 at 2:21 pmI have heard of peanut soup…and this variation looks delicious. What a great memory of your Aunt, sounds like you enjoyed each others company. Hope you are having a safe and beautiful monsoon.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:26 pmI had a great time with my aunt – I still miss her a lot. She was also a wonderful cook, and I learned a lot from her.
Christina | Christina's Cucina
July 23, 2017 at 5:41 pmHow awesome is it that the chef gave you the recipe!?! That's so cool, and it honestly sounds so interesting to me! I'd love to try it, but it will definitely have to wait until the weather cools off. I can't imagine your heat if ours is this bad in July. Ugh!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 23, 2017 at 6:27 pmLucky for us, Christine, we are in the midst of a wonderful monsoon season. The best one since we have moved here! It helps keep the heat down and allows me to make whatever sounds good!
Anonymous
July 23, 2017 at 9:10 pmOne unique and interesting stew!
Bruce Baer
Cocoa & Lavender
July 25, 2017 at 2:13 pmIt is, indeed, Bruce – but it is very tasty!
Marcelle
July 24, 2017 at 4:28 amThis is an exotic dish for a parents date night dinner…now I just need a sitter…desperately. 🙂 As always gorgeous pics!!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 25, 2017 at 2:13 pmI can only imagine that if you got a sitter, Marcelle, the two of you would collapse on the sofa for a long nap, forgetting all about food!
Anonymous
July 25, 2017 at 4:15 amThis was delicious! The first surprise was that putting peanuts in a food processor produces peanut butter … who knew? The second was that it wasn't excessively salty (I had thought perhaps to eliminate the tamari but it needed that extra saltiness).
Question: are the chicken breasts bone on or boneless? and what about skin? (didn't matter, I used boneless/skinless thighs because I like dark meat, but it might be something good to clarify). Sue Agnew
Cocoa & Lavender
July 25, 2017 at 2:15 pmThanks, Sue – and that is a good point. I did use boneless and skinless, and want to try it with thighs. I, too, prefer dark meat!
Glad you trusted me on the tamari! It also adds a different element than simple salt. Glad you added the kale – good idea to blanch it first!
Anonymous
July 25, 2017 at 6:40 pmI also used chipotle (powdered) instead of cayenne because I thought the smokiness might be really good … are the two comparable in hotness? For myself personally I could have made it hotter (I measured!!) but if making it for friends I'd probably use what you called for.
Agness of Run Agness Run
July 25, 2017 at 1:07 pmThis is a delightful recipe! I will definitely give it a try! Is the flavor better with sweet potatoes?
Cocoa & Lavender
July 25, 2017 at 2:16 pmHi, Agness – I love it with sweet potatoes, and I forgot to mention that it is also good with garbanzo beans. I can't say the flavor is better – but it's different and it also adds some fun texture!
All That I'm Eating
July 27, 2017 at 11:55 amI've not seen anything similar to this before, what an interesting recipe.
Cocoa & Lavender
July 27, 2017 at 2:56 pmIt is really different, Caroline – and I wonder if perhaps it isn't popular because now there are so many people allergic to peanuts?
Frank
July 28, 2017 at 11:42 amI have occasion to travel to West Africa from time to time for work, and I can attest to the tastiness of groundnut stew. It's probably my favorite of the local dishes, in fact. The peanuts lend a wonderful creaminess …
Cocoa & Lavender
July 30, 2017 at 2:09 pmI hadn't thought about the creaminess, Frank. That is so true! Of the groundnut stews you've had, are there any changes you would make? Any additions?
Inger at Art of Natural Living
July 28, 2017 at 8:46 pmThat sounds about par for when someone runs back to the kitchen for a recipe! Glad you were able to resurrect it David–looks delicious!
Cocoa & Lavender
July 30, 2017 at 2:10 pmI was just so thrilled that he gave me the recipe, Inger!
Andrea_TheKitchenLioness
August 7, 2017 at 6:49 amDavid, what a fun story and interesting recipe. It is not easy to pry a recipe from any baker or chef at a restaurant. Kudos to you for being able to score this winning one!
Cocoa & Lavender
August 11, 2017 at 1:07 pmI find quite a few chefs love to share their recipes – for they know most people won't make them and that they will still come to their restaurants!
Anonymous
November 13, 2017 at 5:04 pmAbout freezing (I asked someplace, but don't find it in this comment thread so maybe it was on Facebook) … I'm here to report that it froze and thawed just fine. Still delicious. Sue Agnew
Cocoa & Lavender
November 14, 2017 at 2:30 pmThanks for letting me know, Sue!