Cast Iron

Sweet Potato and Plantain Stew

by:
December 27, 2016
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0 Ratings
Photo by Madeleine
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This is one of Elwood's creations; I'm just here to document his kitchen prowess. —Madeleine

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Ingredients
  • 1 splash olive oil
  • 2 small onions (or one medium), minced
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 1 whole habanero pepper
  • 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
  • 1 medium sweet potato, diced into 1 cm cubes
  • 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning
  • 2 plantains, diced into 1 cm cubes
  • 1/2 cup green olives, chopped
  • 2 dried peaches, chopped
  • 1/4 cup currants
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 1 cup dry green lentils
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • 200 milliliters canned diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • water, as needed
Directions
  1. Toss the sweet potato in olive oil and half of the jerk seasoning to coat. On a cast iron pan, or cookie sheet, roast the sweet potato in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes (or until soft and the edges are crisped)
  2. In a deep frying pan, fry the onion, garlic, ginger, the rest of the jerk seasoning, and habanero until onions are soft and translucent. Add the dried fruits, and olives. Cook another 2 minutes until the fruit has softened.
  3. Add the lentils, broth, wine, and tomatoes. Stir together and simmer at low-medium heat until lentils are softened. Add water by the 1/2 cup when needed to keep the mixture wet while the lentils cook.
  4. When the sweet potatoes are done cooking, add them to the lentil mixture. When you add them is not particularly important, but in our case it was about 5 minutes after adding the lentils and wet ingredients to the pan.
  5. Take your plantains now, and spread them on the same hot cast iron you used to cook the sweet potatoes. Roast for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, or until the bottoms are brown and crisped.
  6. Remove the habanero and add the cooked plantains to the lentil stew once the lentils are at your desired softness, stir, and serve.
  7. Side note: If you like your food extra spicy, you may choose to finely mince some of the cooked habanero and stir it back into the dish after removing it at the end. Or, you could add two whole habaneros instead of one. Whatever you do, be cautious with the seeds... they are incredibly hot.

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