West African Groundnut Stew

From the garden

• 1½ cups raw shelled peanuts, cured and dried · roasted and ground into paste; see garden note
• 1½ lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small hot chile, left whole, pierced once · fished out before serving; leave it out entirely for a mild pot
• 8 oz okra pods, stems trimmed, pods left whole
• 1 bunch collards or other sturdy greens, stemmed and cut into ribbons

From the pantry

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 2 cups long-grain rice · for serving
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Roast the peanuts on a sheet pan at 350°F for 12–15 minutes, stirring once, until they are deep golden through the middle; break one open to check. Cool them fully, then rub off the papery skins in a kitchen towel.
2. Grind the cooled peanuts in a food processor, scraping down the sides often, until they move past crumbs and turn into a loose, glossy paste, 3–5 minutes. Nothing else goes in: the oil comes out of the nuts themselves.
3. Warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and gold at the edges, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes more.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until they collapse and darken, about 8 minutes. Whisk the peanut paste smooth with 1 cup of the stock, then stir it into the pot with the rest of the stock and the whole chile.
5. Simmer uncovered over low heat 20 minutes, stirring often so the peanut solids do not catch on the bottom, until a slick of orange oil rises to the surface. That break is the sign the stew is ready. Start the rice now.
6. Add the sweet potato and cook 12 minutes, then add the okra and greens for a final 8, until everything is tender and the stew coats a spoon. Fish out the chile, season with salt and pepper, and ladle over rice.