One of my great joys is making a masterful meal out of nothing obvious. I love the challenge of staring into my fridge and freezer looking for an ingredient that will inspire a pairing that will end in a triumph. It doesn’t always work. But sometimes, it does.
A few nights ago I started with carrots, celery and onions at the bottom of a big pot. It seemed like it was headed toward a soup. I added water and ginger and more ginger and tomato paste and then it wasn’t a soup at all.
I pureed the mess and grabbed the peanut butter and started heaping spoonfuls in. A bit of soy sauce, a can of tomato paste, garlic, thyme and cayenne and it was dang good over rice.
I think I was needing protein. When Andy saw my wild eyes with the peanut butter all he said was
huh. that’s interesting babe.
Also, I left the cayenne out of some and Margot loved it.
It didn’t photograph very well. It disturbingly resembles Ruby’s poop. So I was funneling the leftovers into some mason jars and I am not quite sure what happened but in hind sight I am pretty sure the carrot peanut butter stew lept from the jar, all on its own, to decorate my neck, shirt and shoes.
It doesn’t look like I was that covered, but I promise I was. I think I am severely accident prone in the kitchen. Like when I sliced the tip of my finger clean off last month while making cauliflower curry. Oh it was dreadful and very bloody. The first thing Andy asked was um where’s the sliced off part? And so we looked and there it was, the tip of my finger, icy white, finger print in tact, just lying on the knife. Anyway.
Peanut Butter Carrot Stew
This recipe is guessed at because I was just madly hopping around the kitchen throwing ingredients in a pot, two-handed, over-the-shoulder while singing bippity boppity boo. SO I recommend tasting as you go and altering amounts as needed.
olive oil
1 onion
6 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
1 can tomato paste
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons dried ginger (fresh would be even better)
5 garlic cloves. minced
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon dried thyme
soy sauce to taste…perhaps a few tablespoons
crushed peanuts
basmati or jasmine rice
Saute the onion, carrot and celery in the olive oil in a large pot. Add about 1 cup of water and tomato paste. Cook over medium heat until veggies are soft. May need to add more water…going for a thick applesauce-like consistency. Puree mixture with immersion blender or food processor. Stir in peanut butter, garlic, cayenne, ginger, thyme, soy sauce. Serve over rice and top with crushed peanuts.
