I will soon be heading out for my annual backcountry camping trip, just a couple of months away now. Part of my preparation includes dehydrating food for both Kaya and me. This dramatically reduces the weight and volume, and it also allows me to prepare gourmet meals that I can rehydrate in the wilderness. Past dinners have included sweet potato channa masala and chile con carne with corn. I found a recipe for West African Peanut Soup that looked super interesting, and tried it out yesterday. It was not one of my finer moments. And I am a lover of peanuts!
The recipe, using 12 ounces of vegetable broth and a small can of tomato paste, also called for 2 cups of creamy peanut butter. Now I love to cook, and I make it a habit always to follow the recipe for the first iteration. Then I have a baseline to adjust from as I adapt the recipe to my enjoyment. However, when Laura heard that two cups were involved, she was dismayed. Or maybe that is too light a term. What actually popped out of her mouth was, ‘For a guy who is so f***ing smart, sometimes you’re really not!’ I had gone ahead and put an entire 16-ounce jar of creamy peanut butter (100% peanuts). Wow! It was as peanutty as a thick peanut butter and jelly sandwich! I pushed on.
I added the pulled chicken the recipe suggested, and a few spices of my own. Laura took a sip and her face instantly retreated into a grimace while she said, “I’m eating this for dinner!” “No, you’re not,” I replied. I didn’t want her to be sick for the rest of the evening because of me!
I, however, did eat it for dinner, and for me it wasn’t that bad. Then it was into the dehydrator in preparation for the wilderness. As Laura said, “That’s one recipe that will stick to your ribs!” My thinking is that it still beats a can of tuna and a granola bar. Next time I make it, there will be less peanut butter involved.
“Anything will give up its secrets if you love it enough. Not only have I found that when I talk to the little flower or to the little peanut, they will give up their secrets, but I have found that when I silently commune with people, they give up their secrets also – if you love them enough.”
– George Washington Carver
