This recipe came about much like the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup commercial—“You got chocolate on my peanut butter,” etc. One day a long time ago, I had some peanut sauce left over from making pork satés, and I was in the process of putting together a cream of celery soup. I started thinking about how people have been known to eat celery sticks with peanut butter, so I swirled the rich sauce into the delicate soup. With a little extra garlic, chile paste, and soy sauce, the result was pretty darn tasty—and I’ve been making it ever since.

Ingredients

　　2 tablespoons cooking oil, such as peanut or canola

　　1 medium onion, chopped

　　1 bunch celery, trimmed and chopped

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　4-5 cups Chicken Stock (p. 206) or Vegetable Stock (p. 204) or water

　　1 cup creamy peanut butter

　　1/4 cup ketjap manis (p. 14)

　　1 teaspoon sambal oelek (or other red chile paste)

　　1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts

　　Heat the oil in a 2-quart pot over medium heat and add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and let them steam for about 10 minutes, stirring once. Add the Chicken Stock and whisk in the peanut butter, a little at a time. Bring to a boil, whisking, and add the ketjap manis and sambal oelek, and a little more stock or water if the soup is too thick. Simmer about 10 minutes, then let it cool. Working in batches if necessary, puree the soup in a blender and return it to the pot. Heat the soup to the desired temperature, adjusting the seasonings (add more chile paste, if desired) and consistency (add more stock or water, if needed). Garnish with roasted peanuts and serve.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.