Senegalese Seafood Stew

Senegalese Seafood Stew
from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant by The Moosewood Collective
serves 6-8

1t salt
2 green (unripe) bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
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4 cups chopped onions
2 garlic gloves, minced or pressed
2 T olive oil
1/2 t cayenne or other ground dried chiles (or to taste)
1/4 t summer savory or thyme
2 potatoes, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/4 small head of cabbage, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (or 3 cups chopped canned tomatoes with juice)
3 cups vegetable stock or water
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1 pound fresh shrimp, rinsed, shelled, and deveined
1 pound fresh fish fillets, cut into chunks
salt to taste

Dissolve the salt in enough water to cover the sliced bananas. Soak the banana rounds in the salt water for about 15 minutes and then drain them and set aside.

Meanwhile, saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil until the onions are just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and summer savory or thyme and saute for a couple more minutes. Add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, parsley, tomatoes, and stock or water. Bring the stew to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the bananas, shrimp, and fish. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque and the shrimp are pink. Add more stock, water, or tomato juice if the stew is too thick. Add salt to taste.