West African Groundnut Soup Recipes

Steps:

• Chop peanuts, or crush them with the side of a knife, or pulse them in a food processor to chop roughly.
• Put oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium heat; a minute later, add onion, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chicken and continue cooking for another 3 or 4 minutes, until just coloring. Add 1/2 cup peanuts and the cayenne and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Stir in the stock and the sweet potatoes, bring to a boil, and turn heat down to medium-low so the soup bubbles gently. Stir in tomatoes and collards, then cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in 1/4 cup peanut butter. Taste, adjust seasoning (you may want to add more peanut butter at this point) and serve, garnished with remaining peanuts.

Steps:

• Bring water and peanut butter to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Turn heat down and simmer for 1 hour, skimming surface foam and stirring as necessary. Add tomatoes and tomato paste. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cut up vegetables and set aside, covered.
• Meanwhile, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil in Dutch oven. Salt beef and chicken well, sprinkle with cayenne pepper (be careful, there!), then brown chicken on all sides, followed by stewing beef, adding a little more oil if necessary. Pour peanut butter soup over meats and bring to a boil, stirring well to incorporate. Turn heat down to low and simmer for at least two hours, stirring regularly to prevent sticking. Toward the last 3/4 hour add the green peppers, scallions, eggplant, celery and onions. (NOTE: It is not necessary to sauté vegetables first.) At end of cooking time stir in crab meat, and correct seasonings as necessary.
• Prepare rice according to package directions to yield 4 cups hot cooked rice.
• To serve, mound rice on large platter, ladle soup over rice and sprinkle with parsley (I prefer the flat-leaf variety) and grated coconut. Pass a small bowl of cayenne pepper, and offer sliced tropical fruit to accompany soup - mango, papaya, pineapple, guava, banana.
• Can be prepared in advance; add crab meat just before serving and heat through.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Heat large pot on high heat. Pour in peanut oil, and then add onions. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, then add garlic and ginger. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until soft and translucent, another 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle in half of spice mixture, salt to taste and stir until mixed well. Pour in crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer for at least 1 hour. Strain broth, then puree solids with 2-3 cups of broth until very smooth. Strain through fine strainer.
• While broth is simmering, reserve 2 sweet potatoes for garnish and dice.
• remaining potatoes into 1/4" pieces. Toss in peanut oil, salt and pepper, and roast in 425 degree oven until just tender. Set aside to cool.
• Place peanut butter into medium bowl and slowly whisk in 1-2 cups of broth until mixture is smooth. Pour mixture back into pot with broth.
• Toss together cooked beans, sweet potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Season with salt, spice mixture and lime zest to taste.
• In shallow bowl, pour broth, then spoon vegetable mixture into the center.
• Garnish with chopped peanuts, lime juice, lime salt (zest of 2 limes mixed with ¼ cup Malden sea salt), and sweet potato chips. (Cut whole sweet potatoes into ½" thick pieces. Use peeler to make thin ribbons. Fry in 300 degree canola oil. Salt to taste.).

Steps:

• Saute the onions in oil until just translucent.
• Stir in the cayenne and ginger.
• Add the carrots and saute a couple more minutes.
• Mix in the potatoes and stock.
• Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
• In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and the tomato juice.
• Return the puree to the soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth.
• Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend on the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it is not naturally sweet, add just a little sugar to enhance the other flavors.
• Reheat the soup gently, using a heat diffuser if needed to prevent scorching.
• Add more water, stock, or tomato juice for a thinner soup.
• Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions or chives.

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with their juice, vegetable broth, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• Add rice to soup and stir. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes, or until rice is tender.
• When rice is cooked, whisk in peanut butter and return to a simmer, and serve. Garnish with chopped roasted peanuts, if desired.