[CH] Dinner Recipes- Senegalese Chicken Soup

Jonathan T. Smillie (jsmillie@protix.com)
Fri, 08 May 1998 09:56:34 -0500

This just in from the Test Kitchen (i.e. last night's dinner). Got this 

recipe from a friend who got it from a friend who got it from a 

magazine (sorry, don't know which one). My SO, who is a novice 

CH, loved the flavor but had to go back twice for more rice to cut the 

heat. I liked it though...


SENEGALESE CHICKEN SOUP


#	Measure	Ingredient


1			large onion, diced 

4 	Tbsp 		olive oil 

1	tsp (or to taste)	garlic, minced 

6	Tbsp		Curry powder

2	tsp		Cayenne pepper (see NOTES) 

2	tsp		Ground coriander

5-7	cups		Chicken broth 

2	cans		Crushed tomatoes 

1	small can	Tomato paste

1/2	cup		Peanut butter (see NOTES) 

1	lb		Cooked chicken, diced 

to taste			Salt and black pepper 

2			Scallions, thinly sliced 


Garnish:	crushed peanuts, chopped cilantro


Directions:


Heat olive oil in stock or soup pot. Add onions and saute until 

translucent. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add curry, cayenne 

and coriander and cook, stirring constantly and scraping pot

bottom, 2 more minutes (if mixture is too dry, add olive oil to 

moisten).


Add 5 cups chicken stock, crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. 

Simmer for 30 minutes- do not boil. Stir often and scrape pot bottom

with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Add more stock to adjust 

soup consistency if desired. Add salt and pepper as needed. 


Transfer 1/2 of soup to a blender or food processor (one with a good 

splash guard!) Add peanut butter and blend until well mixed, adding 

stock if too thick. Return blended soup to pot and stir to mix well. Add

diced chicken and stir to distribute; cook about 15 minutes to allow 

chicken to absorb soup flavors. Add scallions, cook 5 more minutes, 

and serve. Garnish with crushed peanuts and chopped cilantro to 

taste. 


NOTES:


1. The recipe specifies cayenne pepper. The brave (or those who don't 

have non-CH live-ins) might wish to substitute other powdered chiles 

such as habanero or Calvin's powder. I'm thinking about using a mix of

powdered hab and chipotle next time...


2. The recipe calls for smooth peanut butter, which I did use last night..

However, I'm contemplating using chunky next time, just for the change

in consistency. 


3. I served this with plain boiled white rice and ladled the soup over it, 

which makes it more sort of a gumbo/stew dish. However, lunch today

is the soup by itself...


Hope you like it,


Jonathan








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<bold>Conservative</bold>, <italic>n.</italic> A statesman who is
enamored of existing

evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to 

replace them with others.

- Ambrose Bierce, <italic>The Devil's Dictionary</italic>