Sounds authentic to me: Senegalese okra and peanut stew

Annalena admits that when it comes to African cuisine, she is a total illiterate.  She really, really is.  Apart from the Ethiopian bread injera, she knows nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  So, ragazzi, when she saw a recipe for "Senegalese okra stew," which involved cashew butter, she was absolutely convinced that this was someone's fantasy.

She was probably wrong.  See, if you were to be asked:  without google searching, where do cashews come from?  you'd probably not guess Africa.  Nor would you guess that the Ivory Coast is one of the major producers, and Nigeria is THE major producer.   So, go and look at a map of Africa and find Nigeria and the Ivory Coast. Senegal is right there.  So, it became very feasible.

Except Annalena did not have cashew butter on hand.  She t hought about making some of her own, but was not feeling all that up to the process.  Many of us who went through a vegetarian phase, however, remember eating something called "groundnut stew."   Annalena never learned what a groundnut was, but we used peanut butter instead.  And we all convinced ourselves that we were being ethnic, politically correct, etc, etc, etc.  She always has peanut butter around, thanks to the ministrations of Melissa the monster (Annalena's trainer:  also known as Hamstring Hannah).    So the substitution went in, and it worked.

In fact, there were many substitutions in this recipe, and it worked nonetheless.  It's good.  Annalena is going to take you through it, with the substitutions, and suggests you make this.  You're busy for most of the time, but when  Annalena says "most of the time," she means about 30 minutes.

Let's get all of our ingredients together first.  Peel and slice two onions.  Annalena used red ones, but use what you got.  Separate the rings.  Also grate about two tablespoons of fresh ginger, and mince about 4 cloves of garlic.  You are also going to want some hot pepper.  The original recipe called for one, seeded habanero.  Annalena was not up to this, from the heat standpoint, and the risk of getting the hot stuff on her fingers (she wears contacts).  She used a  couple of small, serrano chilis, and she did not use the seeds.  Judge for yourself how hot you want this.    Spice was, you want a tablespoon of cumin.  The recipe called for ground, which Annalena could not find on her shelf, so she used whole.  You also want a half teaspoon of tumeric.  Mix these together.

Vegetable wise, you will need about a pound plus of squash.  Now, peeled butternut squash was called for, which  Annalena did not have.  She did, however, have a delicata squash.  Delicata is a winter squash with a very edible skin.  So she sliced this into half moons.  Cube butternut, or whatever orange skinned squash you have.  If you don't have delicata, butternut is the easiest one to peel.

Now, the okra.  Yes, the okra.  If you can find it, use it.  Let's review:  if you don't cut into okra, it won't slime up.  So if you can find a pound of small ones, just cut away the top - where it attached to the plant.  If you only have big ones, then slice them at the very last minute.  You'll have time, as you'll see.

A quart of stock:  the original called for vegetable.  Annalena has never found a vegetable stock she likes, so she used chicken.  But... if you're a vegetarian, use the vegetable stock you like.    Divide it into 3 cups and one cup, and finally, half a cup of peanut butter, of any persuasion.  Or cashew butter

That sounded bad, but it's not.  Now, let's get to work. Put a quarter cup of oil in a big pot, and add the onions, the ginger, and the garlic.  When you begin to get a sizzle, lower the heat, and cook for five minutes.   Now add the hot pepper and the spices, and cook this all for two minutes.  Add a bit of salt.

In goes your squash, and the three cups of stock. Yet more salt.  Just a bit.   Now, we cook for six, and if you're slicing your okra, this is the time to do it, because...

after the six minutes, add the okra, and cook for another three.  If you REALLY feel skeeved by the okra, you can cube up some summer squash. Guess what you add a pinch of?

While the okra is cooking, stir together the peanut or cashew butter and the extra cup of stock.  Do the best you can, pour it into the pot, and simmer for another five minutes.

And you're done.  Unless you need.... yup.... salt.  Or pepper.  Or more hot peppers.

This goes over rice, and you know what?  With vegetable stock, you have a vegan dish.  Annalena poached some fish on it, and her doorman, who's from Guyana, told her that in his country, this dish is made with salt fish.  It makes sense.

So, ragazzi, go to it.  This makes PLENTY.  Probably enough for 8.   Feel free to cut the recipe in half, but do make it.  You'll be REAL glad you did.