Celebrate with holiday meal

This chicken peanut stew is an adaptation of a tasty dish that was often prepared for celebrations in the village where I lived years ago in the Republic of Congo.

Extended families would sit around a table with a large cooking pot in the center filled with the steaming stew. We ate together, as I listened to traditional stories of their past.

And now, when we make this thrifty and tasty stew in our home, my family does the same.

Share this recipe and your stories with family and friends as you celebrate Kwanzaa this week and other special events.

You’ll need:

•One 3 to 31/2 pound fryer chicken, cut up

•1/2 cup flour

•2 tablespoons peanut oil

•1 14-ounce can stewed tomatoes, drained

•1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

•1 large onion, chopped

•1/4 cup canned chopped chilies, mild or hot to taste (optional)

•1 teaspoon salt

•2 cups chicken broth, canned or fresh

•1/2 cup chopped unsalted peanuts

•3 hard-boiled eggs (optional)

•Chopped parsley garnish

Get started:

•Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

•Let your child measure and pour flour into a clean plastic or paper bag. Shake the chicken in the flour. An adult may fry the flour-coated pieces in the oil for several minutes in a large frying pan, until golden brown. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this stage.

•Place the chicken in a large ovenproof casserole dish or stew pot. Let your child add the tomatoes, sweet potato, onion, chilies and salt. Pour the chicken broth over the chicken and sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. Cover and place in the oven for one hour.

Serve it:

When the stew is finished cooking, if you wish, slice the peeled hard-boiled eggs in half and arrange them around the edge of the steaming stew. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Place at the middle of the table along with a bowl of rice, and serve with a big spoon. Six-to-eight servings.