Soup honors Virginia’s peanutty history

Plenty of recipes for peanut soup, which dates to colonial Virginia and has roots in Africa, call for peanut butter. Not so the version chef Drew Trautmann makes at Southern Efficiency, the Washington tribute to below-the-Mason-Dixon-line eating and drinking

“We like old recipes,” Trautmann says, so he was drawn to techniques that start with the nut itself. “The soup was around before peanut butter was.”

Soaking the peanuts helps them soften during cooking (they’re legumes, after all), and makes for a creamier result.

The soup is rich, so serve about a cup or even less. That way you’ll keep them wanting more.

Virginia Peanut Soup

6 to 8 first-course servings (Makes about 6 cups)

2 cups plus 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 small chopped onion

2 chopped celery ribs

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 bay leaf

6 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup diced, unpeeled apple

1/4 cup celery leaves

Roasted peanut or toasted sesame oil

Combine 2 cups peanuts in a bowl with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Soak at room temperature for at least 4 hours, and up to overnight. Drain.

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery ribs; cook, stirring frequently, until they are tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the drained peanuts, celery seed and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until the peanuts are heated through, 2 minutes.

Add broth; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the mixture is just bubbling around the edges. Cook until the peanuts are soft, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf.

Working in small batches, transfer the soup to a blender (remove the center knob from the lid to allow steam to escape and cover the opening with a towel to contain splash-ups); puree until smooth. Pour the soup back into the pot over medium heat; for a very smooth texture, push the soup through a fine-mesh strainer as you work. Add lemon juice, and fine sea salt and black pepper. Taste and add lemon juice, salt and/or pepper as needed. Remove from the heat.

Ladle soup into bowls. Divide these garnishes among them: the remaining peanuts, apple and celery leaves. Drizzle a little peanut or sesame oil over each portion. Serve hot.