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1
Simmer the Beef Until Tender
45 Mins
Medium-low heat, ~95°C (200°F)
Put the beef in a large pot with the beef stock and half the sliced onion. Bring to a boil, skim off any foam, then cover and simmer for 40–45 minutes until the beef is tender. Lift the beef out and keep the broth.
Keep the broth — it is the base of the sauce, and it already tastes of beef and onion.
Done when: A cube of beef yields easily when pressed with a fork.
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2
Blanch the Spinach
10 Mins
High heat, ~100°C (212°F)
While the beef simmers, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spinach, push it down, and boil for 2 minutes until just wilted. Drain well, squeeze out the excess water, and chop the leaves finely.
Squeezing the spinach dry is what keeps the finished sauce thick instead of watery.
Done when: The leaves are dark green, wilted and squeezed nearly dry.
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3
Fry the Tomato-Onion Sauce
15 Mins
Medium heat, ~160°C (320°F)
Heat the oil in the same large pot. Fry the remaining onion for 4 minutes until soft, then add the garlic and ginger and fry for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, the gbotemi spice and the ground pumpkin seeds, and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce darkens and the oil begins to separate at the edges.
Do not rush this step — a sauce fried until the oil separates tastes rich and rounded, while a pale, hurried one tastes raw.
Done when: The sauce is thick, dark red, and glossy with oil at the edges.
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4
Bring the Stew Together
20 Mins
Medium heat, ~100°C (212°F)
Pour in the reserved beef broth and the whole Scotch bonnet, return the beef to the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the flaked smoked mackerel and simmer for 5 minutes more so the fish warms through and flavours the sauce.
Add the smoked fish late — it is already cooked, and a long boil would shred it into the sauce.
Done when: The beef is tender, the sauce coats a spoon, and the fish is heated through.
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5
Fold in the Spinach and Serve
5 Mins
Low heat, ~90°C (195°F)
Fold the chopped spinach into the stew a handful at a time, stirring gently until it is evenly mixed in. Taste, add the salt if needed, and simmer for 3–5 minutes. Serve hot with akoume or steamed rice.
The spinach goes in last so it stays green and keeps its nutrients — cooked in from the start it would turn dull and tired.
Done when: The stew is deep green and glossy, with beef, fish and spinach in every spoonful.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve each portion hot in a wide bowl, with the sauce spooned generously over akoume or beside a mound of steamed white rice.
Togo
1h 35m
France
Vietnam