West African Peanut Soup

• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 serrano chili, seeded and minced
• 1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger root
• 1 cup peeled and chopped carrots
• 2 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups canned whole peeled tomatoes or tomato juice
• 1 cup peanut butter (chunky)
• 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
• salt to taste
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• chopped peanuts
• hot sauce (optional)

1. 1. Saute the onions in the oil until just translucent. Stir in the cayenne and fresh ginger. Add the carrots and saute a couple more minutes. Mix in the potatoes and stock, bring the soup to a boil, and then simmer for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
2. 2. In a blender or food processor, puree the vegetables with the cooking liquid and tomatoes. Return the puree to a soup pot. Stir in the peanut butter until smooth. Taste the soup. Its sweetness will depend upon the sweetness of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If it's not there naturally, add just a little sugar to enhance the other flavors and add salt to taste.
3. 3. Reheat the soup gently, using a heat diffuser if needed to prevent scorching. Add more water, stock, or tomato juice for a thinner soup.
4. 4. Serve topped with plenty of chopped scallions, chopped peanuts and hot sauce to taste.

onions, olive oil, cayenne pepper, serrano chili, ginger root, carrots, sweet potatoes, vegetable stock, tomatoes, peanut butter, sugar, salt, scallions, peanuts, hot sauce

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/west-african-peanut-soup-50066779 (may not work)