This recipe is from the unlovely 1997 edition of the Joy of Cooking. Why they even bothered with this publication, I don't know. I'm not a fan of their recipe selections or their general advice. Still, I reluctantly admit that they do have a varied and nouveau Soup section, pretentious though it is. I just don't care for this book. They should have stuck to the previous version and we all would have been better off.
And so we continue with our series of nut soup recipes. This is called "Georgia Peanut Soup" in the book, but I'm thinking that the addition of hot sauce makes it more Gulf Coast than Georgian. The recipe advises that if you are preparing this dish a day or so ahead of serving to use less ground red pepper and hot red pepper sauce, as the heat intensifies over time.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 medium celery stalks, chopped
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups of chicken stock
Heat the butter and oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring until they are tender. Stri in the flour. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the broth and simmer until the soup begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir often.
Stir in:
1 cup of smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper sauce
Heat through but do not boil. Stir in 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice.
Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with:
chopped dry-roasted peanuts
chopped scallion greens
For some reason, The Soup Lady is highly irritated by the instructions to "ladle in warmed bowls". For heaven's sake, what do they think we are? Heathens? Barbarian? Of course we know to "ladle into warm bowls". Whatever next? "Use a spoon to eat it"? Harrumph.
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