Thank you DuClaw Brewing for sponsoring this post and sending me the DuClaw Sweet Baby Java. All opinions and the soup recipe are my own.
Welcome to the March edition of “Cooking with Beer”! Each month DuClaw Brewing sends me a beer and a friend and I create a recipe. It’s a fun time to think outside the box and try a new beer and new food. This month’s beer is “Sweet Baby Java”, an espresso bean infused version of Sweet Baby Jesus.
Each month when I get my beer from DuClaw, my friend and I brainstorm ideas for the recipe. I knew which beer was coming this time and we were heading in the direction of a dessert of some sort. But then we got the beer. Now, I love Sweet Baby Jesus. It’s one of my favorite of their beers and was the first beer of DuClaw’s that I cooked with. I made a wicked good cupcake. I expected Sweet Baby Java to basically be a coffee version of Sweet Baby Jesus. That is to say, a sweet chocolatey peanut beer with the added flavor of coffee. But the espresso really changes the beer – it’s no longer sweet and the chocolate is less present. It’s really quite good, but very different than we expected. Somehow, this led us in the direction of soup!
I confess that I was worried I’d be eating a bowl of peanut butter. I was even more worried when my friend suggested tomatoes in the garnish. But, oddly, it all really works together and I was quite happy to come home to a bowl of it after a long day and run club last night. This may be one of our best recipes yet.
DuClaw Sweet Baby Java Virginia Peanut Soup
Ingredients
- 14oz package of unsalted peanuts
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 bottle sweet baby java
- 32oz chicken broth
- 2tbsp tomato paste
- 1 medium onion -roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves- minced
- 2 stalks celery- roughly chopped
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups diced tomato
- 1/4 cup copped parsley
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- reserve 4 oz of peanuts, chop, and set aside
Instructions
- Over medium heat, saute onion, garlic and celery in butter until soft, adding a pinch of salt as you go. Once soft, add the tomato paste and cook until browned. Add remaining peanuts and beer, simmer for a few minutes to cook off the alcohol. Then add the chicken broth, reduce heat to medium low, and cook until the peanuts are soft. Using either an immersion blender or (carefully) transferring to a food processor, puree till smooth. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Combine tomatoes, parsley, olive oil, and vinegar with the chopped peanuts. Salt to taste.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with tomato/peanut mixture.
Disclaimer: DuClaw Brewing sent me beer to cook with and compensated me for this post. Recipe, photos, and opinions are my own.
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