This is a classic West African dish. It is easy to prepare, feeds a lot of people, and is delicious.

Ingredients:

5½- to 6-pound stewing chicken 2 skinned medium-sized onions 4 pared carrots 3 quarts water 6 oz tomato paste 2/3 cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, depending on whether you prefer a smooth soup or one with an interesting crunch) 1 pinch cayenne or 2 diced hot peppers (or to taste) ¼ tsp pepper 1 1/3 cup of uncooked rice ¼ cup diced cooked pimentos

Directions:

Cut up the chicken, onions, and carrots, and place them in a soup kettle with the water. Bring slowly to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is tender (about fifty minutes, but more cooking won't hurt). Remove the chicken and cut it up into bits to serve in the soup. Strain the stock. Blend together the tomato paste, peanut butter, cayenne/hot peppers, and pepper with a small amount of stock. Add the remaining stock and the rice and simmer it all slowly until oil rises to the top and the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Skim off the oil (I don't; it's too much trouble to do so, and anyway, I like it). Add the pimentos. Season to taste and serve either hot or well chilled. Serves maybe 10 people. Beer goes well with this spicy dish (and is culturally appropriate). I originally heard of this dish from a semi-fictional story about a girl's growing up in West Africa, and I hunted around until I found a similar recipe (Cut up and place in a soup kettle: A 5½- to 6-pound stewing chicken 2 skinned medium-sized onions 4 pared carrots 3 quarts water Bring slowly to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is tender (about fifty minutes, but more cooking won't hurt). Remove the chicken and cut it up into bits to serve in the soup. Strain the stock. Blend together with a small amount of stock: 6 oz tomato paste cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, depending on whether you prefer a smooth soup or one with an interesting crunch) 1 pinch cayenne or 2 diced hot peppers (or to taste) ¼ tsp pepper 1 cup of uncooked rice Add the remaining stock and simmer slowly until oil rises to the top and the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Skim off the oil (I don't; it's too much trouble to do so, I like it, and there isn't much anyway, since I use skinned chicken breasts and pour off the oil on the top of the peanut butter) and add: ¼ cup diced cooked pimentos Season to taste and serve either hot or well chilled. Serves maybe 10 people. Beer goes well with this spicy dish (and is culturally appropriate). Cut up and place in a soup kettle: A 5½- to 6-pound stewing chicken 2 skinned medium-sized onions 4 pared carrots 3 quarts water Bring slowly to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until chicken is tender (about fifty minutes, but more cooking won't hurt). Remove the chicken and cut it up into bits to serve in the soup. Strain the stock. Blend together with a small amount of stock: 6 oz tomato paste cup peanut butter (smooth or crunchy, depending on whether you prefer a smooth soup or one with an interesting crunch) 1 pinch cayenne or 2 diced hot peppers (or to taste) ¼ tsp pepper 1 cup of uncooked rice Add the remaining stock and simmer slowly until oil rises to the top and the rice is cooked, about 25 minutes. Skim off the oil (I don't; it's too much trouble to do so, I like it, and there isn't much anyway, since I use skinned chicken breasts and pour off the oil on the top of the peanut butter) and add: ¼ cup diced cooked pimentos Season to taste and serve either hot or well chilled. Serves maybe 10 people. Beer goes well with this spicy dish (and is culturally appropriate). I originally heard about this dish from a description in a (semi-?)fictional account of a young woman's growing up in West Africa. I hunted around in cookbooks until I found a similar recipe (in Irma S. Rombauer & Marion Rombauer Becker _Joy of Cooking_ (Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975), p.180) and combined what I had originally read with what the Becker's wrote.