In The Kitchen

This is the soup Bernice was trying to make when the spices were knocked out of her hand by the ghost of Annie Grace. It seemed she had a ghost that was interested in Colonial cooking! As she put it, “I was in the middle of making peanut soup for the family when suddenly I felt the chili powder being yanked out of my hands” This is also the point at which my life changed, as you will know if you’ve read the account of my induction into the work of being a psychic detective in The Chef Who Died Sautéing.

½ cup roasted peanuts
3 cups beef broth
1 cup half-and-half cream
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
whipping cream
cucumber

Blend the peanuts with 1 cup of the broth in a blender until smooth. Pour the mixture into a saucepan and add all the remaining ingredients. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and cook slowly for 15 minutes.

Served hot, this can be garnished with whipped cream, or cold, with thin slices of cucumber.