Peanut Soup

Funny but people don’t believe me when I tell them about Peanut Soup.  It isn’t a desert or something for the kids, it is a substantial dish that is very common in the South.  There are several recipes for it and I will try to bring you some others as I get the opportunity to try them but for now here is a fairly easy and taste one.  Try it.  It is simple and doesn’t take much time.  You just need the ingredients, a saucepan and a blender

Ingredients:

§         1 stalk        Celery, chopped roughly

§         1 med        Carrot, also chopped roughly

§         2 Tbl          chopped Onion

§         2 ¾ cup     liquid, divided (see substitutions below)

§         ½ cup        Creamy peanut butter

§         ¼ tsp         Pepper

§         1 Tbl          Cornstarch

§         ½ cup        Half & Half (see substitutions below)

§         Chopped peanuts, optional

Substitutions:

·         I use ¾ cup of broth in step #1 and then pour the rest into a measuring cup and add whatever water is needed to reach 2 cups.  This still has to be divided in steps #3 & #6.  You can also use 2 Chicken or Beef bouillon cubes in 1 ½ cups of water for step #3.  

·         Half & Half works real well but if you are stuck feel free to substitute milk (preferable whole) or cream.  You may want to dilute the cream though.

Directions:

1.      Combine the celery, carrot, onion, and ¾ cup of liquid (see substitutions) in a saucepan.

2.      Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

3.      If you are using the bouillon cubes add them to 1 ½ cups of Water and cook uncovered until the cubes have dissolved.

4.      Pour this mixture into the blender, add the peanut butter and pepper, and process until it is all smooth.

5.      Pour the contents of the blender back into the saucepan.

6.      Combine the cornstarch in ½ cup of liquid and stir until it is all blended.  When you reach this stage you should just have a ½ cup of the liquid left and it is probably in your measuring cup.  I just pour the cornstarch into the cup and start stirring it.

7.      Combine the cornstarch mixture with everything else.

8.      Bring everything to a boil then reduce the heat to low and cook for 1 minute.

9.      Stir in the Half & Half and cook over low heat, uncovered until the soup is heated.  Stir it occasionally while it is heating.

10.  Serve with the chopped peanuts as a garnish.