Beef, Peanut & Sweet Potato Stew Recipe

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive, sunflower or coconut oil
500g diced braising steak
2 onions
500g sweet potatoes
400g carrots
3 garlic cloves
1 cayenne chilli (optional)
1 bay leaf
80g peanut butter
40g tomato sauce
1 vegetable stock cube
500ml boiling water
35g peanuts
100g baby leaf spinach
1 lemon
Sea salt
3 tbsp cold water (optional)

Prep: 20 mins | Cook: 1 hr 50 mins-8 hrs 15 mins

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Method

1. Warm a large frying pan (or saucepan, if you’re cooking the stew on the hob) for 2 mins, then add 1 tbsp oil and the diced braising steak. Fry, stirring every so often, for 8-10 mins till the steak is browned all over.

2. While the beef fries, peel and finely slice the onions. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop them into around 8 chunks each. Trim, peel and thickly slice the carrots. From this point on, follow the method either for the slow cooker or on the hob.

3. In the slow cooker: Scoop the browned beef out of the frying pan and add it to a 3½ ltr slow cooker. Tip in the chopped veg, too. Peel and grate or crush the garlic. Halve the chilli, scoop out the seeds and white pith and finely chop it (for a less spicy stew, you can leave the chilli out entirely. If you prefer a stew with a bit of a kick, keep the seeds and white pith). Add the garlic and chilli to the slow cooker.

4. Drop the bay leaf into slow cooker, then add the peanut butter and the tomato sauce. Crumble in the stock cube and stir. Pour in 500ml boiling water, pop on a lid and set the slow cooker to medium. Cook for 6-8 hrs. For a faster stew, set the slow cooker to high and cook for 4-5 hrs, or set to low and gently cook for 8-10 hrs.

5. While the stew cooks, tip the peanuts into a dry frying pan and toast for 2-3 mins till browned. Tip onto a chopping board, cool for a few mins then roughly chop. Set aside.

6. When the stew is ready, fish out the bay leaf and stir the baby leaf spinach into it to just wilt the leaves. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon, then taste and add a squeeze more lemon or a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Ladle the stew into warm bowls and top with the chopped peanuts to serve.

7. On the hob: Scoop the browned beef out of the pan and set aside on a plate. Tip the chopped veg into the pan with 3 tbsp water. Fry, stirring every so often, for 5 mins till the veg picks up a little colour.

8. While the veg fry, peel and grate or crush the garlic. Halve the chilli, scoop out the seeds and white pith and finely chop it (for a less spicy stew, you can leave the chilli out entirely. If you prefer a stew with a bit of a kick, keep the seeds and white pith).

9. Return the beef to the pan with any juices from the plate. Stir in the garlic and chilli. Drop in the bay leaf and add the peanut butter and tomato sauce. Crumble in the stock cube and give everything a good stir to mix.

10. Pour in 1 ltr boiling water, cover and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and gently simmer for 1 hr 30 mins, stirring every now and then.

11. While the stew cooks, tip the peanuts into a dry frying pan and toast for 2-3 mins till browned. Tip onto a chopping board, cool for a few mins then roughly chop. Set aside.

12. When the stew is ready, fish out the bay leaf and stir the baby leaf spinach into it to just wilt the leaves. Squeeze in the juice from half the lemon, then taste and add a squeeze more lemon or a pinch of salt if you think it needs it. Ladle the stew into warm bowls and top with the chopped peanuts to serve.

13. Eat & keep^ This stew will keep in the fridge for a couple of days or you can freeze it for up to 3 months. Simply divide into individual portions, cool, then freeze in sealed containers. Defrost completely before reheating, and make sure it is piping hot all the way through before serving.