Guinean Peanut Sauce with Butternut Squash recipe

All Recipes Side Dish Vegetables Squash

Ingredients

1 butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch cubes
½ cup natural peanut butter
1 small tomato, chopped
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
ground black pepper to taste
salt, or to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Nutrition Info

395.6 calories
carbohydrate: 42.4 g
cholesterol: : -
fat: 24 g
fiber: 8.3 g
protein: 11.4 g
saturatedFat: 3.4 g
servingSize: -
sodium: 390.8 mg
sugar: 10.4 g
transFat: : -
unsaturatedFat: : -

Directions

  1. Place the butternut squash in a saucepan with water to cover. Bring to a boil and then simmer, covered, until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

  2. Combine the peanut butter, tomato, and warm water in a bowl. The authentic way to prepare this is to squish it together by hand -- but a food processor works, too.

  3. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion slices and cook for 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter mixture, the minced garlic, the bay leaf, black pepper, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil.

  4. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the peanut sauce, adding the reserved cooking liquid as needed, for 15 minutes. The consistency should be similar to a thick soup.

  5. Stir in the butternut squash and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Add the lemon juice, and taste to adjust the seasoning.

Recipe Yield

6 cups

Recipe Note

This peanut butter and butternut squash recipe is from the village of Cansamange in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa. I learned it while I was in the Peace Corps;it quickly became my favorite dish! The authentic West African preparation requires squishing this by hand until the mixture is fairly uniform - a food processor also works. Serve over medium-grained rice. Okra sauce (folere) is a traditional accompaniment.

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