Spicy Peanut Soup

Description
If you eat soup a lot, it's good to have something unusual to pull out every once in a while.

This soup is spicy and nutty. The recipe is a mix of Ghanan Groundnut and spicy soup. The first thing this soup says to you is "Hey howdy!" with the red pepper and Cayenne and then you'll settle in for a nice long civilized conversation with the peanuts and vegetables.

Ingredients

 * 1 large onion, diced
 * 3 large cloves garlic, minced
 * 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 * 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
 * 3 diced celery stalks
 * 2 diced carrots
 * 2 diced medium starchy potatoes
 * 2 red Thai chile peppers - the long thin ones
 * 3 – 5 cups vegetable stock
 * 8 tablespoons crunchy peanut butter
 * 12 oz corn kernels, fresh, canned or frozen
 * salt and pepper to taste
 * ½ cup crushed salted roasted peanuts

Directions

 * 1) Smaller dices are better for this soup, ¼" or less is ideal for all vegetables.
 * 2) Remove the seeds and membranes from the hot peppers. Chop finely.
 * 3) Heat the oil in a large stock pot.
 * 4) Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for 2–3 minutes over medium-high heat.
 * 5) Add the cayenne, stir and sauté 1 minute longer.
 * 6) Add the potatoes, carrots, celery, and chopped chili pepper.
 * 7) Stir and sauté four minutes more then add the stock.
 * 8) Bring up to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
 * 9) Add the peanut butter and corn and stir until the peanut butter is dissolved.
 * 10) Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
 * 11) Reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes.
 * 12) Serve hot with crushed peanuts sprinkled on top.
 * 13) The net heat from this soup is not as bad as you might think.
 * 14) The oil from the peanut butter helps to reduce the heat from the cayenne, red chili, and black pepper.