Efo Riro with Spinach

Ingredients and method

About 4 servings with a starch (estimated)

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, half chopped for the beef and half diced for frying
• 3 US cups water for cooking beef, plus more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, then more to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach, washed and thick stems removed
• 3 large red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 to 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper, stemmed
• 1/4 US cup edible unrefined red palm oil
• 2 tablespoons ground dried Nigerian crayfish (crustacean shellfish)
• 1 tablespoon ready-to-cook iru (fermented locust beans), prepared according to its label
• Up to 1/2 US cup reserved beef broth, only as needed

Method

1. Simmer the beef with half the onion, salt and 3 cups water, partly covered, until fork-tender. Add water as needed to prevent drying out. Remove the beef and reserve its broth; do not start the greens until the meat is tender.
2. Blanch the spinach in batches in a separate pot of boiling water just until wilted. Drain, cool under cold running water, then squeeze firmly and chop. Remove enough water that it no longer runs freely when squeezed.
3. Pulse the bell peppers and hot pepper to a coarse mince in a food processor. Avoid adding water; a smooth, watery puree will take longer to reduce.
4. Melt the palm oil over medium-low heat in a wide heavy pot. Add the remaining onion and soften. Add the pepper mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until thick and no longer releasing watery liquid. The oil should remain red; do not heat it until smoking or bleach it.
5. Stir in the crayfish and iru. Add the cooked beef and only enough reserved broth to prevent sticking, beginning with 2 tablespoons. Simmer gently so the beef is thoroughly hot and coated in the sauce.
6. Fold in the squeezed spinach and cook uncovered until hot throughout, approximately 2–5 minutes. Taste before adding salt. The finished stew should hold together on a spoon instead of sitting in a pool of water. Serve with rice, cooked yam or a prepared swallow.