I don't k now how to begin to describe this soup. It's...perfect. It's velvety in texture, warms the throat, and is richly scented with ginger, garlic and curry. This is just about the only time I use curry powder instead of garam masala or making my own blend. I used hot Madras curry powder, which you can easily find in the grocery store these days. This recipe is very Africa meets the Subcontinent (India) and it's an excellent way to start bringing more warmth into our lives after a cold winter.

Curried Peanut Soup

2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small chili, deseeded (or not)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 tablespoon sugar, optional
1 sweet potato
5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup crunchy natural peanut butter
3/4 cup coconut milk

Chopped peanuts and fresh cilantro to garnish

Begin my cooking the sweet potato in the microwave for about 10 minutes, until soft. Allow the potato to cool, slice in half and scoop out the flesh.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and allow to often for about 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger and chili and cook until garlic is fragrant, 3 minutes more.

Sprinkle over the curry powder and stir to coat everything. Add the broth and the sweet potato. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter and use an immersion blender to puree everything. If using a regular blender, mix the peanut butter with about 1/2 cup of the hot broth before stirring it into the soup.

Lower the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Taste for seasonings, including the sugar. Serve hot with a garnish of fresh chopped cilantro and/or chopped peanuts if desired.

I couldn't find cilantro so I didn't garnish the soup at all. It was so silky and rich. I hope no one is afraid of calories!

Tomorrow's Cooking

Curried Peanut Soup. Stay tuned for details! No pictures until I get a new digital camera, however.

Title Help

Witchin' in the Kitchen : Simple Recipes for Sabbat Celebrations

Yes or No?

Deviled Nuts

I mentioned earlier that these are great for Samhain because it's also called Nutcrack night. It's a night when apples and hazelnuts are left out as offerings. The night before Halloween is called Devil's Night and these are deviled nuts - sweet and spicy.

2 containers mixed nuts, salted or lightly salted
2 egg whites, whipped with about a teaspoon of water
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground chipotle chili

Heat your oven to 275 F.
Whip the egg whites in a bowl. Add the seasoning ingredients and the nuts. Stir to coat.
Place the nuts onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring once.
Let the nuts cool, break into clusters, and put into a festive bowl or into tins to give as gifts.

You can use various spices for these nuts. For example, you could use cinnamon for love, or you could just candy the nuts with the brown sugar. The mixture that I used was just the cumin and chipotle and they were a big hit with everyone who ate them, with the exception of my uncle. He didn't care for the smokey heat of the chipotle! You can also just use about a teaspoon of cayenne if you cannot have or do not like chipotle.

Hello, Blog!

I was at my parents' house in West Virginia with limited access. I returned last Tuesday and still haven't fully unpacked my suitcase. It takes me forever to do that for some reason.

We have a snow day here in the Ar-kan-saw (trying not to spell it correctly to hide my exact location ;)) and usually when I'm snowed in I get into a baking mood. Not today, however. Today I'm in the mood to sit on my butt in front of the computer and snarf cold spaghetti, which is exactly what I'm doing. Yes, I love cold spaghetti.

While I was home I made a beef and stout pie, some nuts that I'm going to post (perfect for Samhain or whenever), and I worked on my Sun God fritatta (or however you spell that). I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break if you got one. I'll be posting as soon as I get over this massive case of writers block.