Peanut Vegetable Stew

I've been thinking about my blog and what I'm doing with it and I've decided it's a good place for cooks to come for ideas. I don't create many recipes, I tweak other people's recipes some and I'm good at finding good ideas. I remember my mother saying I don't mind making dinner but I don't know what to make. So if that is you I might be able to help.

I made a peanut stew I found in the San Francisco Chronicle that was just delicious. I've gotten many great recipes from the Chronicle lately and this was another good one. The recipe was presented as vegetarian but suggested you could add pork or chicken which sounded good to me. I added pork and Mike was happy but chicken would have been just as good. The original recipe included garbanzo beans which I left out since I added pork. The beans would be great if you want to keep it vegetarian. It was suggested to serve it with farro which I did and it was fabulous. The other suggestions were brown rice or couscous. Sounds good to me.
http://www.sfgate.com/food/recipes/detail.html?p=detail&rid=18605&sorig=qs

Peanut Vegetable Stew my way

~1 pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of any fat and cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 green bell pepper, large dice
1 small serrano, ribs and seeds removed and minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock plus more as needed
1/2 cup extra crunchy organic peanut butter plus more as needed
1 teaspoons soy sauce
a pinch or two of instant espresso powder
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 pound small Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
1 medium tomato, chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Toss pork pieces in flour, salt and pepper and coat thoroughly. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Brown pork for about 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onion and carrot to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften slightly and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, serrano, paprika and chile flakes; cook a few minutes more until aromatic, another 5 minutes. Stir in the stock, peanut butter, soy sauce, espresso powder, vinegar, potatoes and tomatoes. Add pork and stir to combine. Add additional stock to cover if needed.

Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are just done, about 20 minutes. Add more stock if necessary. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional peanut butter if a more pronounced flavor is desired. You can garnish with chopped peanuts and parsley, if you like.

Mike had the leftovers a few days later. I think it was even better then. Enjoy!