Frugal Foodie Friday - Curried Tomato and Peanut Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Summer refuses to let go. The Silver Fox and I are in a 10,000 step program and we were out the door shortly after first light this morning. The thermometer outside the door read 47 degrees F, and I mean to tell you it was chilly. The Fox is not a morning talker, so as we walk I usually ward off boredom with thoughts of meal planning or the mental creation of recipes that I hope will wow my immediate world. Under the circumstances, soup seemed like a pretty good bet for lunch or dinner today. I'm still no where near ready for the heavy soups and stews of winter, but I am entertaining thoughts about their lighter cousins and decided to make a pantry soup for our lunch. The original version of this soup comes from Epicurious.com, and while I've made changes to it over the years, it still remains their soup and it's one worth sharing. While it is inexpensive to make and easy to prepare, the best thing about the recipe is that it makes a delicious soup in a quantity that's perfect for a small family. One spoonful of this lovely curried soup will forever spoil you and you'll never look at canned soup in the same way again. I've cut back on the amount of liquid used in its preparation, so it is thicker than the original version. If you prefer a thinner broth use more chicken or vegetable stock to get the consistency you want. The recipe calls for Madras curry powder which usually is quite hot and spicy. If the curry powder you use is a milder variety, you might want to add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some pepper flakes to pep up the flavor of your soup. If you want to use the soup as a main course, add a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas to the pot and just heat them through. I do hope you'll give this Frugal Friday feature a try. It takes 15 minutes to prepare and costs less than $5 to make. Chances are you have all the ingredients you need to make the soup in your pantry and that saves you a trip to the store. It is perfect for these cusp days of early fall. By the time we were ready for lunch, the thermostat had climbed to 88 degrees and I was really grateful for the satisfying lightness of this very special tomato soup. Here is how it is made.


Curried Tomato and Peanut Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Epicurious.com
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder (preferably Madras)
1 (14-oz) can diced tomatoes in juice, chopped if large, reserving juice
1-3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
Optional: 1 cup hot water
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
Optional: 1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
1) Cook onion, salt, and pepper in oil in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes (with their juice) and broth and simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. If you wish a thicker soup, stir in peanut butter without diluting it. Otherwise, stir hot water into peanut butter until smooth and add to soup. If using, add tomato paste to soup and stir to blend. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper. Stir in cilantro just before serving. Yield: 4 first-course or 2 main course servings.

                    

                                                    Older Posts

                   One Year Ago Today:                                                Two Years Ago Today:

                      Skillet Olive Bread                                  Asian Meatballs with Lime Dipping Sauce

              Three Years Ago Today:                                                  Four Years Ago Today: 

     Spiced Apple Cake with Hard Sauce                                Toasted Coconut and Lime Layer Cake