West African Peanut Soup

from Starting with Ingredients by Aliza Green

West African Peanut Soup

2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbs chopped garlic
1 Tbs chopped ginger root
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground cloves
pinch cayenne pepper
1 (15 oz) can chopped plum tomatoes or 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
2 large yams, peeled and cut up
6 cups vegetable (or chicken) stock, simmering
3/4 cup roasted peanuts
1/2 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1/2 bunch cilantro, leaved chopped
salt and pepper to taste
diced fresh tomato, cilantro, or chopped roasted peanuts for garnish

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onion until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne. Saute together 2 to 3 minutes to release their fragrance. Stir in the tomatoes and yams and continue to cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to meld the flavors.

Add the hot stock and peanuts, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat. Using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. For extra-smooth soup, strain it through a sieve. Return the soup to the saucepan. Whisk in the peanut butter and cilantro, season with salt and pepper, and heat through. Top each serving with garnishes and serve piping hot.

Serves 8