Ghanaian Peanut Soup

These are the days we crave soups, stews, chilis – anything to ward off the winter chill (OK, I admit it was a balmy 60 degrees this past weekend in Philly but I’m still bracing for those frigid temps that I know are coming.)

Anyway, my sister’s co-worker is Ghanaian and his wife shared the basics behind this traditional soup recipe with her. My sister then passed it onto me and I made a few tweaks. Traditionally called “groundnut stew”, the main base is peanut butter and tomatoes – two ingredients we Americans don’t usually pair together. But add in some cayenne, garlic and ginger – and boy, does this soup deliver in flavor, Black eyed peas are another typical ingredient – and are symbol of good luck in the new year (along with being a good source of fiber, protein and iron.)

I substituted smoked paprika for the cayenne pepper as I’m usually a wimp when it comes to super spicy, but if you like it hot, add back in the cayenne or your favorite hot sauce. What’s great about this soup is that it comes together so quickly, you basically are just heating up all the ingredients vs. letting something cooking away for hours on the stove.

Ghanaian Peanut Soup

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• Yield: about 8 cups 1x

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Ingredients

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• 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, no salt added (do not drain)
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 2 cups cooked black eyed peas (or one 15 ounce can)
• Salt to taste

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Instructions

1. In a food processor, add ginger and garlic. Process until minced.
2. Add tomatoes in their juices, peanut butter and paprika. Process until smooth.
3. Pour soup into a large pot. Place over medium heat and cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Add black eyed peas and heat another 10 minutes.
5. Add salt to taste.