African Peanut Soup

Thank goodness I made several soups in the past few weeks - I have been sick as can be. As in, I think I now know how a crackhead feels. I'm hot, I'm freezing, I'm hot again. My skin hurts and I'm sweating buckets. My eyes burn. My throat hurts so bad I can hardly swallow. Charming, isn't it? Hopefully I'm feeling fresh as daisies tomorrow, because I'm in charge of hors d'oeuvres at the New Years Eve Cocktail Party we're attending tomorrow evening. I even have a rockin' new BCBG cocktail dress and killer stilletos to try out for the occasion. Stupid cold.

And yes, I'm officially pouting through my sweaty hazy fever now.

Anyhoo. Back to soup. I found this recipe at epicurious.com. Once upon a time, I ordered an African peanut soup at Free State Brewing Company. It was soooo good: creamy, slight hint of coconut, and then hot hot hot. I gobbled it up. So when I saw this recipe at epicurious, I was hooked. It turned out quite well: not exactly as spicy as I had at Free State, but pretty good nonetheless. I also sprinkled chopped cilantro on top of the served soup; not sure if anyone would consider that authentic but it sounded good to me. This soup is not as peanut-buttery as I thought it would be, it was really a behind-the-scenes flavor (so if you are worried about this being terribly rich or thick, no worries). Quite good, I think it could really be good for several changes as you see fit - add different veggies, a few new spices, maybe sweet potatoes, etc. Good stuff! I will definitely try it again.


Okay, I'm ready to chug a glass of OJ and then back to my (do I want it warm? Or chilled?) bed right now. Have a lovely evening all! Will check back soon :)


African Peanut Soup




Ingredients:
1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4- to- 1-in. cubes
1 Tbsp. hot sauce
3 c. low-salt chicken broth
1 c. coconut milk
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter (do not use natural or old-fashioned)
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
5 Tbsp. butter
1 1/2 c. chopped onion
2 medium zucchini, diced (we used patty-pan squash instead)
2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1 c. drained canned diced tomatoes in juice

Combine chicken cubes and hot sauce in medium bowl and toss to coat well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss again. Whisk chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, and tomato paste in another medium bowl to blend.

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion and zucchini; sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add chicken and sauté until no longer pink on outside, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally.Add broth mixture and tomatoes to pot.

Simmer until chicken is cooked through and flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.