African Peanut Soup

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I had reservations about this soup the first time I made it. The ingredients seemed a bit incongruous, but I decided to try it anyway. Just one taste of it, however, caused me to put my reservations aside, and I've come to love this strange African soup that combines peanut butter with tomatoes and rice. Over the years, I've added various versions of the recipe to my meal rotation. My two other favorites can be found here and here. Aside from its wonderful flavor, this soup has the added advantage of being remarkably easy to make. It is a true pantry soup that will take about 15 minutes of your time to assemble. It an be on your table in less than an hour, and, if your family is anything like mine, you will garner rave reviews. This is a hearty soup that is perfect to serve after a day in the snow and the cold. It's also a great soup to serve in summer after a day on the water. This soup, like many in which a starch actually cooks, can become quite thick. I've made provision for that in the recipe and you can add extra stock or coconut milk to thin it. Here is how the soup is made. Enjoy!

African Peanut Soup...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by my.recipes

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Pinch of sugar
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter, divided use
6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, divided use
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
1 cup white rice
6 scallions, chopped
1/3 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
1) Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook onions until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (and their juices), tomato paste, sugar, 1/2 cup peanut butter, broth, vinegar, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. Whisk to combine. Bring to a boil.
2) Add rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in remaining broth and reserved 1/4 cup peanut butter. Add reserved teaspoon salt. Bring soup back to a simmer and ladle into bowls. Garnish with scallions and peanuts. Yield: 6 servings.

                    

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