Bringing Travel Home: West African Pumpkin Soup Recipe

A Pumpkin Soup with a peanut-y twist!.

This week we’re bringing travel home by sharing a West African Pumpkin soup recipe to help you feel the coziness. Peanuts are a huge staple in West African cuisine, and this pumpkin soup features a surprisingly pleasant, peanut-y twist! As a rich source of fat and protein, peanuts are used in dishes both sweet and savory. This particular recipe calls for peanut butter, which is used to make the dish rich and hearty…no cream needed here.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Extra virgin oil
1 can of pumpkin puree
5 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup of peanut butter
2 celery stalks, diced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 tablespoons of grated ginger root
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
salt, pepper to taste
1 dollop of sour cream
chives, for garnish
peanuts, for garnish
bacon…(ok, I added this myself)

To begin, sauté the onions and celery in olive oil until translucent and tender. Add garlic, cayenne, ginger, curry powder and tomato paste. Cook until it smells delicious, usually about 5 minutes.

Next, stir in the pumpkin goodness, the stock, and peanut butter. Using a soup blender, blend the mixture until smooth. Let the soup heat up thoroughly, and then add vinegar and season to your taste. Top with a dollop of sour cream, chopped peanuts, and bacon (if you dare). Share with your loved ones, and enjoy this classic fall favorite with a West-African twist.