Vatapa

A traditional stew from Brazil. Brazil is a large country, and this recipe arrived in Brazil from Africa. It is common in the Brazilian state of Bahia, all the way in the North. The main African ingredient is Dende, or palm oil, which give this dish a very special and wonderful flavor. If you don't have Dende, which can be hard to find, use olive oil. But you will be missing the main point of the dish.

Ingredients:
- dende oil (palm oil)
- garlic
- an onion
- some green onion
- a few plum tomatoes
- cilantro, lots and lots of cilantro
- lime juice from a few limes
- a couple Chiles, I like Anaheim
- ginger
- chicken thighs, remove the skin
- shrimps, shelled
- toasted cashews
- about 3/4c coconut milk

Procedure:
- chop garlic, and make a paste w/salt
- in a food processor, add chopped onion, green onion, tomatoes, cilantro (leave a few leaves for garnish later), lime juice, chiles, ginger, pepper; process until pretty smooth
- grind half of the cashews, save for later; leave half whole
- heat dende oil in large pan like a dutch oven, dry chicken, season w/salt, and brown in dende oil.
- Pour ground veggies in dutch oven, add coconut milk and ground cashews, and cook for about 3 to 5 minutes until onion soften
- Return chicken to dutch oven, cover, and simmer about 25 minutes
- add shrimp and cook a few minutes until done
- Remove from heat, add whole cashews and cilantro, can drizzle w/dende oil if desired