There are some things that I will never try.

Sky diving, bungee jumping, escargot, and this:

I found several cans of Spotted Dick sitting on my grocery store's shelf today and I wouldn't have believed it existed, but I saw it with my own two eyes. I wanted to take a cell phone pic but my battery was dead. Plus the can was turned a little and I didn't really want to touch the Spotted Dick. And for the record, I'm not buying, microwaving, or eating Spotted Dick either! (I might have touched a Slippery Dick once, but that is another story.)

Last week I was looking for kale but the produce guy told me all they had was the purple flowery kind, and do people really cook with that? Then he told me they had rapini. What the heck is rapini? I had to ask because I’d never heard of it. Turns out it’s the official name for broccoli rabe, which I have heard of but never tried. So I asked him to describe the flavor then decided to try it in place of kale in my recipe. And it was good. Really good! Wanna try it? If you like spicy Thai peanut sauce you'll love this dish. And it's easy, too!

African Peanut Stew

1 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 bunch rapini, washed & chopped, discard the thick stems (4 to 6 cups)
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 teaspoons Tabasco
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
a handful of skinless peanuts, chopped

Saute the onions in oil for about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Add the rapini, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring a few times until just tender. Mix in the peanut butter, Tabasco, and cilantro and simmer for 5 more minutes. (Add a little water if it's too thick.)

Serve over couscous (or rice) and top with chopped peanuts.

Serves 4.

Adding rapini to the pan; water boiling for couscous
The finished product
This is a modified version of the African Peanut Stew recipe found in my all-time favorite cookbook Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.

I polished off the rest of the stew for lunch today. Good stuff!