Sauce feuille, togolese spinach stew

Name: Sauce feuille

Eaten in: Togo/West Africa

Category: Traditional

There are different types of “sauce feuille” in West Africa. The leaf stew, as the literal translation goes, is typically made of sweet potato or cassava leaves, but it is sometimes made with spinach, which is more readily available in some places. If you are struggling with incorporating greens in your diet, this stew is an excellent way of having veggies, without really noticing it. The beef and tomato sauce flavor the spinach creating a carnival of textures and savors.The resulting stew goes perfectly well with ablo or rice and can be eaten over a few days.

Sauce feuille Recipe

Print recipe

Ingredients

1lb spinach
1lb beef stew meat
2 Medium onions
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup oil (peanut or vegetable)
1 bouillon cube
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 chili pepper
salt, pepper, ginger

Directions

1.	If using fresh spinach, wash the spinach leaves, boil with salt for 15 minutes, then cut into thin strips. If using frozen spinach, skip this step.
2.	Put the pieces of beef in a pan with water, salt, one minced onion, garlic and ginger. (Optional: you can stir-fry the meat in a little bit of oil before adding the water and the rest of the spices)
3.	Boil for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain the meat and keep the broth
4.	Sauté the rest of the minced onions and garlic in 5 tablespoons of peanut oil.
5.	Add the tomato paste, turning regularly for at least 5 minutes, then season (pepper, bouillon, salt, chili pepper)
6.	Add the meat broth, adjust the seasoning as needed and boil at medium heat for about 15 minutes
7.	Add the spinach leaves and meat and simmer for another 10 minutes
8.	Serve with ablo or rice