Recipe for "african-stew"

NAME

     AFRICAN-STEW - A spicy vegetable stew
     I got this recipe from my mom, who got  it  from  a  friend.
     It's very easy to make.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4)

     1         very large onion, chopped
     1 bunch   Swiss chard
     500 g     garbanzo beans (known also as  chick  peas,  ceci,
               etc.)
     75 g      raisins
     100 g     uncooked rice
     several   fresh tomatoes (or 800 g of canned tomatoes)
     1 clove   garlic (or more to taste)
     2         yams
               salt and pepper to taste
               tabasco sauce to taste

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Fry onion, garlic, and white stems of chard  until
               barely limp.  Add chopped greens and fry a bit.
          (2)  Either peel the yams or scrub  them  well  with  a
               vegetable   brush,  then  slice  them  into  thick
               slices.  Add garbanzos, raisins,  yams,  tomatoes,
               salt, and pepper.  Cook a couple of minutes.
          (3)  Make a well in the center of the  mixture  in  the
               pot.   Put  the  rice  in the well and pat it down
               until it's wet.  Cover and cook until rice is done
               -about 25 minutes.
          (4)  Add Tabasco sauce to taste.

NOTES

     I find that the flavors of the vegetables  don't  stand  out
     unless  you  put  in a lot of tabasco.  But then, I've got a
     cast-iron tongue.  You should add enough to  make  the  stew
     seem spicy to you.

RATING

     Difficulty: easy.  Time: 15 minutes preparation, 30  minutes
     cooking.  Precision: no need to measure.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Jeff Lichtman
     Relational Technology, Inc., Alameda, California
     {amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
     {ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff
     "Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent.."