South African Vegetable Casserole
Dinner in 40 Minutes
- Cuisine: African
- Course: Main Course
- Features: Fast, Holiday (Kwanzaa), Meatless
Summary:
What's not to like about Kwanzaa? The nonreligious holiday, which begins tonight and lasts through Jan. 1, celebrates the harvest. Gifts are exchanged; traditions and African American community principles are honored. A big feast is held on the penultimate day, and Kwanzaa recipes draw on the cuisines of the Caribbean, Africa and South America.
This vegetarian recipe can be a side dish or, when paired with a crisp green salad and some coconut or saffron rice, a main course. The combination of natural, sugar-free peanut butter, olive oil and plain yogurt makes a rich curry sauce for the chunky vegetables. It's best to use a curry powder that is not hot or super-spicy.
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 medium clove garlic
- 3 medium zucchini
- 3 medium yellow squash
- 1/2 cup sugar-free natural peanut butter
- 1 1/4 cups plain nonfat yogurt (do not use Greek-style yogurt)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup store-bought shredded carrots
- 1 teaspoon curry powder, preferably Jamaican or West Indian
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup crushed dried herb stuffing
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in pieces
Directions:
Finely chop the onion, mince the garlic and cut the zucchini and yellow squash into 1-inch chunks. Combine the peanut butter and yogurt in a large measuring cup, mixing until it is a uniform tan color.
Position an oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large shallow casserole dish or gratin dish with nonstick cooking oil spray.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until they have softened. Add the remaining vegetables and cook for 2 minutes, then add the curry powder, salt and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring to mix well. Remove from the heat; add the peanut butter-yogurt mixture and toss to coat evenly. Transfer to the casserole or gratin dish and sprinkle with the crushed stuffing; dot with the butter. Bake for 20 minutes; the top should be golden brown and the casserole should be bubbling audibly. Some of the vegetables will be crisp-tender. Serve hot.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from "Kwanzaa: An African-American Celebration of Culture and Cooking," by Eric V. Copage (William Morrow, 1991).
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Julia Ewan)
