Just before the holidays, Eric’s nephew, Wade, got married in California. Between Christmas & New Year’s, Wade journeyed to Pennsylvania with his new wife, Vee, to introduce her to our extended family. Eric & I traveled down from Connecticut to congratulate the happy newlyweds. Nine of us gathered at Eric’s mom’s place for fun & games & dinner with Wade & Vee.
While catching up with Wade and getting to know Vee, peanut butter became a subject for discussion. During an in-depth conversation, the rest of us learned that Wade and Vee have a theory about peanut butter. They believe that it goes well with everything. They are testing their theory, and so far, they have not found a food item that is not enhanced by the addition of peanut butter. Many suggestions were made by the group, but most had already been thought of, tried, and discarded by the couple when it was deemed perfectly compatible with the nutty spread.
In the intervening weeks, I have given extended thought to the matter and have not come up with anything to disprove their theory. In fact, this past weekend, we discovered that peanut butter is a wonderful addition to tomato soup! Thanks for the inspiration, Wade & Vee!
Tomato-Peanut Soup
Tomato-Peanut Soup (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total time required: 1 hour, Prep time: 25 minutes, Cook time: 35 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- sour cream, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, for garnish
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the oil. Cook the veggies, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot, cooking and stirring for 2 more minutes.
Chop the pepper, celery, & onion; combine the spices.
Saute the pepper, onion & celery. Add the spices.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, brown sugar, and 1 cup of water to the pot, then whisk in the peanut butter until it is incorporated.
Add the peanut butter to the chopped veggies, tomatoes & broth.
Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly, about 30 minutes.
Simmer the soup for 30 minutes.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender. (If using a regular blender, puree it in batches.) Season the soup with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with the desired garnishes.
Peanut butter adds a wonderful richness to tomato soup!
Peanut butter enhances so many foods! ~Linda
Tomato-Peanut Soup (adapted from foodnetwork.com) Total time required: 1 hour, Prep time: 25 minutes, Cook time: 35 minutes, Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
- Freshly ground black pepper
- sour cream, fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts, for garnish
Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and celery to the oil. Cook the veggies, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, curry powder, paprika, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt to the pot, cooking and stirring for 2 more minutes.
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, brown sugar, and 1 cup of water to the pot, then whisk in the peanut butter until it is incorporated. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer it gently, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly, about 30 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. (If using a regular blender, puree it in batches.) Season the soup with salt and black pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each serving with the desired garnishes.