Virginia Peanut Soup
(from Lucianolinda’s recipe box)
Source: Arkansas Democrat Gazette-kelly Brant
Serves 6 peopleCategories: soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1/2 tsp. celery seed
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice, plus more to taste
- Salt and ground black pepper
- Garnishes:
- 1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts
- 1/2 cup diced apple
- 1/4 cup celery leaves
- Roasted peanut or sesame oil
Directions
- In a medium bowl, combine the nuts with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hour, and up to overnight. Drain.
- Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, until they are tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
- Add the drained peanuts, celery seed and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until peanuts are heated through, 2 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat so the mixture is just bubbling around the edges.
- Cook until the peanuts are soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.
- Working in small batches, transfer the soup to a blender (remove the center knob from the lid to allow steam to escape and cover the opening with a towel to contain splash-ups.). Puree until smooth.
- Pour the soup back into the pot over medium heat; for a very smooth texture, push the soup through a fine mesh strainer as you work.
- Add the lemon juice, and season with 1/2 tsp. each fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add lemon juice, salt and/or pepper as needed. Remove from the heat.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with desired garnishes. Drizzle a little roasted peanut or toasted sesame oil over each portion. Serve hot.