{African Beef & Peanut Stew - Maffe}

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Do you like peanut satay ?  This tastes like that, so if you do then you'll like this, you should make it, yeah all of you who said yes.  Go on its dead easy.

So here in Melbourne spring is coming, its in the air with its occasional whiffs of daphne, its in the colour of the sky at dinnertime and I can't wait. There are still cold days though, you can still catch the smell of an open fire out there amongst the jasmine and so at my place the last of the wintery stews are being nursed over long days with the fire crackling and the talkback radio for (adult) company !

Its a really simple stew this one, nothing fancy in it, it does take a bit of time but its nice to have dinner bubbling away as you go about your day, don't you reckon? yeah there's not alot of effort required for this one, and the results are completely delicious.

...the stew
olive oil
750g stewing beef, cut into chunks
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
2 cups water
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
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Season and brown the beef in a little olive oil, do it in a couple of batches, set the beef aside.

Reduce the heat to medium, add some more oil to the pot, then add the onions, cook until softened then add the garlic and ginger and cook for 2-3 more minutes before adding the spices and toasting them for a further minute or so (add more oil here if it looks too dry).

Next return the beef (and its resting juices) to the pot and add the water and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for one hour stirring occasionally, then pop the lid on and cook for another hour. If you find the stew getting too thick, add a little more water or some more tomatoes while it continues to cook.

Once the meat is tender, add 1/2 - 3/4 cup of crunchy peanut butter and continue to simmer until the meat is very tender (it should easily fall apart) and the sauce has cooked down into a nice thick rich gravy, about another hour.

At this point, taste it and adjust the seasonings and add more peanut butter if desired. Serve on rice or cous cous or with flatbreads.  Totes delish.