Love for Food

When I first saw this soup in Food Network Magazine, I thought it sounded a bit funky. It sounded kinda strange and that's what drew me to try it. This soup comes together pretty quick. The hardest part is all the chopping in the beginning. The peanut butter adds some creaminess and texture to the soup. It's just the perfect amount of thickness. The only change I made was to omit the suggested one cup water. Un-refrigerated the peanut butter blended easily into the soup.

This soup is also know as Groundnut Soup and is a traditional West African dish. People started making it since these ingredients were cheap and easy to find. I had this with a grilled cheese but the traditional way is to use as a sauce over meat and sweet potatoes. Either way it's a nice change of pace to your typical tomato soup.

Ingredients: Serves Six
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 small onion, finely chopped 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped 1 stalk celery, finely chopped, plus leaves for topping 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon Madras-style curry powder 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Kosher salt 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter Freshly ground black pepper Creme fraiche, fresh cilantro and chopped peanuts, for topping Method:

• Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery; cook, stirring, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring, 2 more minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, and brown sugar to the pot, then whisk in the peanut butter until incorporated. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender or in a regular blender in batches.Season with salt and black pepper.
• Ladle the soup into bowls; top with celery leaves, cilantro and peanuts. Drizzle with olive oil.(optional)