In Africa, peanuts are often called groundnuts, and many variations on this "chicken-groundnut stew" are found throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Homemade peanut butter is often used in central African cooking. You can make your own homemade peanut butter by roasting peanuts, removing the shells, and then crushing the peanuts into a thick paste.
What you need:
· peanut oil (or any cooking oil)
· one chicken (for the gourmet version, four to six chicken breasts) cut into bite-sized pieces
· one or two onions, cut up
· one or two cloves of garlic, minced (optional)
· one cup tomato paste (or tomato sauce)
· one cup peanut butter (natural, or homemade is best)
· one cup water
· cayenne pepper or red pepper, black pepper, salt
What you do:
· Heat a couple spoonfuls of oil in a deep pot. Add the chicken and fry it on both sides until it is browned and nearly done. Remove the chicken and set aside. (It might be best to fry part of the chicken and remove it, and then repeat the process two or three times. Chicken cooks best if the chicken pieces do not touch each other while frying.)

· Fry the onions and garlic in the same pot. Stir in tomato paste. Reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Return chicken to pot. Stir in peanut butter (if using peanuts, first shell and roast them, then grind or mash them into a paste, adding water if needed). Be sure to use a very low heat or peanut butter will scorch. Stir in enough water to make tomato paste and peanut butter into a smooth sauce. Add spices to taste. Stir. Simmer on low heat until chicken is done.

· Serve with Baton de Manioc, or Fufu, or fried or boiled Plantains, or Rice.

· Oven or Grill variation: Use larger chicken pieces. Follow all directions but without chicken. Cook sauce until heated through. Cook chicken in oven or on grill. Pour sauce on chicken after chicken is done cooking.

One often hears that Jollof Rice (or Jolof Rice, Djolof Rice) is a Nigerian dish; indeed it is often made by Nigerians. However, it has its origins among the Wolof people of Senegal and Gambia who make a rice and fish dish they call Ceebu Jën. Since Nigeria has the largest population of any African country, it's safe to say that most of the people who make and eat Jollof Rice are probably Nigerian.
There are many variations of Jollof Rice. The most common basic ingredients are: rice, tomatoes and tomato paste, onion, salt, and red pepper. Beyond that, nearly any kind of meat, fish, vegetable, or spice can be added.

What you need
· oil for frying
· one chicken (and/or a pound or two of stew meat), chopped into bite-sized pieces
· one or two onions, finely chopped
· salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)
· Flavoring add-ins (to taste)
· chile pepper, chopped
· garlic
· thyme
· bay leaf
· ginger
· cinnamon
· curry powder
· two cups chicken broth or chicken stock, or beef broth or beef stock (or Maggi® cubes and water)
· two or three ripe tomatoes, chopped
· Vegetable add-ins
· sweet green pepper (or bell pepper), chopped
· string beans or green beans
· green peas
· carrots, chopped
· cabbage, chopped
· four cups rice
· one small can tomato paste
· Meat add-ins
· cooked ham
· shrimp or prawns (or dried shrimp or dried prawns)
· Garnishes
· fresh parsley, chopped
· cilantro, chopped
· lettuce, shredded
· hard-boiled egg, sliced

What you do
· Heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Stir-fry the chicken (or beef) in the oil until it is browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the oil and set aside. Add the onions, the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and one or two of the flavoring add-ins (if desired) to the skillet and fry the mixture until the onions begin to become tender. Remove the onion mixture from the skillet and set aside with the meat.

· In a dutch oven or large covered saucepan, bring the broth and two cups of water to a simmer. Place the meat and onion mixture into the dutch oven and cover.

· In the same skillet used for the meat and onions, stir-fry the tomatoes and one or two of the vegetable add-ins. Continue frying the mixture until the vegetables are partly cooked, then add them to the meat, onions, and broth in the dutch oven.

· Again in the same skillet, combine the rice and the tomato paste. Over low heat, stir until the rice is evenly coated with the tomato paste. The rice should end up a pink-orange color. Add the rice to the dutch oven and stir gently.

· Cover the dutch oven and cook the mixture over a low heat until the rice is done and the vegetables are tender (maybe half an hour). Stir gently occasionally and check to see that the bottom of the pot does not become completely dry. Add warm water or broth (a quarter cup at a time) as necessary to help rice cook. Adjust seasoning as needed. If desired, add one of the meat add-ins while the dish is cooking. (Shrimp cook very quickly and should not be over-cooked or they will become tough; ham can be added at any time.)

· Serve with one or two of the garnishes.

· Serve Ginger Beer or Green Tea with Mint with or after the meal.

Various Egusi soups are favorites in Western Africa. The soup is thickened with flour ground from seeds of a species of Cucurbitaceae (which includes gourds, melons, pumpkins, and squashes, many of which are native to Africa). In Western Africa, these plants and seeds, as well as soups and stews made with them, are all called Egusi, and this is the name most commonly used outside of Africa.
Look for egusi (also called agusi, agushi, egushi) in African or International grocery stores. Pumpkin seeds can be substituted, as can Pepitas, which are available in Latin American grocery stores. Sesame seeds might also be used with some success.

What you need
· one-half cup palm oil, or peanut oil, or similar
· one to two pounds beef stew meat, goat meat, mutton, or any stew meat, cubed
· one or two Maggi® cubes or Maggi® sauce (optional)
· one onion, chopped
· one hot chile pepper, cleaned and chopped
· two or three tomatoes, chopped
· several okra, chopped (optional)
· one can tomato sauce or one spoonful tomato paste
· one cup dried prawns or dried shrimp, or dried/salted/smoked fish or stockfish
· one to two cups egusi, roasted and ground (pumpkin seeds or pepitas can be substituted)
· one to two pounds spinach; washed and chopped -- or -- bitterleaf, collards, kale, sorrel, turnip greens, or any greens; cleaned, chopped, and parboiled (or a combination of any of the above)
· cayenne pepper or red pepper, to taste
· salt, to taste

What you do
· If it is not already ground, grind or food-process the egusi (or its substitute).

· Heat the oil in a skillet. Fry the meat until browned, but not done. Transfer the meat to a deep pot or dutch oven, cover it with water, add the maggi cube if desired. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer.

· Heat more oil in the same skillet in which meat was cooked; fry together the onion, chile pepper, tomatoes, and okra. Once they start to become tender add the tomato sauce (or tomato paste), dried shrimp or fish, and egusi. Stir well and allow to heat thoroughly.

· Add the onion-tomato-egusi mixture to the simmering meat. Add water and stir into a smooth soup. Cook for twenty to thirty minutes, or until meat and vegetables are done.

· Stir in greens. Adjust seasoning. Cook until greens are done as you like them.