Washington’s Birthday and Peanut Soup

President George Washington loved cream of peanut soup, so here is my vegetarian take on a presidential peanut soup in honor of the upcoming Presidents’ Day holiday. Unlike the version I tried at Mt. Vernon or later at Gadsby Tavern (which is where the painting below is photographed from), this peanut soup version does not use chicken stock. The soup serves about 6 people.

George Washington in a painting at Gadsby Tavern

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons of butter
  • 2 tablespoons minced onion
  • 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 2 2/3 cups broth – the original recipe calls for chicken but I used vegetable to be vegetarian
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup ground peanuts

Directions:

  1. In a heavy soup pot melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute a little until the onions are translucent. Then add the flour and peanut butter. I had crunchy peanut butter, so I added that first and then after the peanut butter had softened and incorporated the onion and garlic did I add the flour. Stir until very smooth.
  2. Beat in the stock and season well with salt and pepper. Simmer over low heat and it will thicken, about 20 minutes.
  3. Stir in the cream and heat through. Serve warm with ground peanuts.

For my main, I decided to make a vegetarian chicken in a lemon butter white wine sauce. So, while I was simmering the soup to thicken it, I took 1/4 cup of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and sauteed some Gardein chick’n scallopini that I had floured, then removed the chick’n to a plate. With the leftover oil still in the pan, I turned off the heat, then I added 3/4 cup of white wine and 1 tablespoon of chopped herbs (I used fresh tarragon and sage) and 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Turn the heat back on, return the chick’n, and reduce the sauce to half or whatever is tasty for you, and this was the sauce I topped the chick’n off with when I plated.

I was purposely leaving out carbs this time, but rice would be great- both for the sauce or with the peanut soup.

Gardein Chicken Scallopini and Washington's Peanut Soup Peanut Soup Gardein Chicken Scallopini

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