Meatless Monday: Peanut Butter Hearts Sweet Potato
I wonder what 19/20th-century inventor-botanist-agricultural scientist George Washington Carver would think of the soup on today’s meatless menu, a bisque of sweet potatoes and peanuts, two crops which he advocated to poor southern farmers to help them become more self-sufficient. (His research resulted in the creation of more than 300 peanut products and more than 100 sweet potato products.)
Photo by Kim O'Donnel
Traditionally, a bisque is defined as a puree of seafood enriched with cream. Somewhere along the way, the definition expanded to include produce, including the tomato, root veg and the aforementioned sweet potato. But today’s covered dish bisque, inspired by a recipe in the current issue of Eating Well magazine, is completely dairy free. Thanks to the peanut butter fairy, you don’t miss the dairy even for a second.
Start to finish, soup’s ready in an hour. While the sweets are cooking, whip up a quickie green salad with slices of apples or pears, and reflect on all the Vitamins A, B6 and C you’re about to receive.
P.S. All this week and most of next, I’m holed up in Eureka Springs, Ark., as the Duncan Eat-Write fellow at the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow – with my very own test kitchen! Stay tuned for Ozarks-flavored dispatches, and do send travel tips for this part of the country, if you’ve got’em.
Sweet Potato-Peanut Butter Bisque
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
Fresh chile of choice, chopped and seeded (I used ½ of a small bird pepper, but I like things hot)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large or 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound total), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 cups vegetable stock (water would be okay too; Rapunzel brand vegetable bouillon is great in a pinch)
A few sprigs of fresh thyme (optional but nice)
¼-1/2 cup tomato puree
heaping ¼ cup smooth, unsweetened peanut butter
A quick squeeze of ½ lemon
Garnish: Chopped scallions
Method
In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and chile and cook until onions are softened, stirring occasionally. Add cumin and stir until incorporated. Add sweet potatoes and stir to coat with aromatics.
Add liquid, thyme (if using) and tomato puree, and bring up to a lively simmer. Reduce heat, then cook until sweet potatoes are fork tender and beginning to fall apart. Turn off heat, remove thyme sprigs. Stir in peanut butter.
Using an immersion stick blender (my preference), food mill, blender or food processor, puree until smooth. If using a blender or food processor, be careful of hot splattering puree.
Return puree to pot and warm over low heat. Taste for salt and add as necessary. A squeeze of lemon is nice just before serving. Garnish with scallions or something green and herby.
Makes 3-4 entrée servings.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by russ_walker, Seattle Bon Vivant. Seattle Bon Vivant said: (Live from Eureka Springs, Arkansas!) Meatless Monday: Peanut Butter Hearts Sweet Potato: http://bit.ly/3BJvzH via @kimodonnel [...]
I love peanut butter in stews. One of my favorites is this chunky version, but with similar ingredients: http://freshcrackedpepper.com/2008/02/24/spoony-sundays-1/
So great for the cooler weather!
Kim, I’m going to try this tonight. If you like Peanut butter, try Maafe or any of the West African peanut butter stews. They’re great for cold weather.
Afi, thanks for the tip. Do you use pumpkin for the traditional W. African stew? Okra?
No to pumpkin, but yes to okra. I also use cabbage, quartered but not fully cored and eggplant. (that’s the Senegalese influence.)
Here’s a tip I learned from my Nigerian friend. Take a cup of the fully cooked stew, complete with meat and veggies, and run it through a food processor or blender. Then returned the stew back to the pot. Grinding the stew releases the flavors and everything tastes so much better.
In response to another comment. See in context »Oops, I see you’ve already got the puree trick.
In response to another comment. See in context »[...] Recipe for Sweet Potato-Peanut Butter Bisque [...]
I actually cooked this up tonight, too. I probably like things even spicier than you, so I used three chipotles in adobo from a can leftover from another soup I made last week (a posole and pork recipe). I also used low fat supercrunch skippy because, well, I’m a creature of habit and I have trouble consuming any other kind of peanut butter. Also, I had one white sweet potato and a regular orange one. It was delicious, although I felt that mine definitely needed the salt, possibly because my PB was sweeter. I’m looking forward to the flavors mellowing while it’s in the fridge and having some leftovers.