Recipe: West African Peanut Soup

Creamy, comforting and full of bold flavors, West African peanut soup is a weeknight-friendly way to turn simple pantry staples and Lenexa Farmers Market finds — including chickpeas — into something special. With a rich peanut base, this vegetarian soup has plenty of room for seasonal vegetables like sweet potatoes and hearty greens.

Allergic to peanuts? Substitute almond butter or sunflower butter and skip the peanut garnish.

Recipe credit: Kathryne Taylor, Cookie & Kate

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeño (optional, for heat), seeded, ribs removed, and finely chopped
1 teaspoon fine salt, to taste
2 tablespoons finely grated or minced fresh ginger
4 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced
4 cups (32 ounces) vegetable broth
2 cups water
¾ cup creamy peanut butter (salted or unsalted natural version both work well)
6 ounces tomato paste
1 medium bunch collard greens or kale (about 8 ounces), tough ribs removed and leaves chopped into bite-size pieces
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
Hot sauce, preferably Sriracha
For garnish (optional):  ¼ cup roughly chopped roasted peanuts and a handful of chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven or soup pot, warm the olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeño (if using) and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Pour in the vegetable broth and water, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer.

3. Meanwhile, in a heatproof medium bowl, combine the peanut butter and tomato paste. Transfer 1 to 2 cups of hot broth from the pot to the bowl. Whisk the mixture until smooth, then pour the peanut mixture into the soup and mix well.

4. Stir the chickpeas and collard greens (or kale) into the soup and continue cooking until the soup is nice and thick, with sufficiently softened greens, 15 to 25 minutes longer. If desired, season the soup with hot sauce to taste (such as 1 tablespoon). Remove the pot from the heat and add more salt to taste, if necessary (such as ½  teaspoon).

5. Serve the soup in bowls as desired — perhaps over cooked rice, with a sprinkle of chopped peanuts and cilantro on top. Serve with additional hot sauce on the side.