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African Chicken in Peanut Sauce

African Chicken in Peanut Sauce by John Spottiswood

I first had this in graduate school when a classmate from Ghana cooked it for an International progressive dinner. I fell in love with the combination of sweet peanuts and pungent spices. This is not a flavor you will easily forget, and it will keep you coming back for more!

56 votes
119788 views
Chinese Vegetable Soup

Chinese Vegetable Soup by John Spottiswood

I love to throw this recipe together when I am in the mood for a healthy and spicy meal. Just about every time I go to an Asian grocery store I end up picking up the ingredients for this tasty soup. This is not from any book...just pieced together from the great bowls of soup I've had in hole-in-the-wall chinese restaurants in the…

3 votes
54013 views
Harira Soup

Harira Soup by John Spottiswood

This is the traditional soup served at sunset to break the daily fast observed during the 30 days of Ramadan. Recipes vary from family to family throughout Morocco and the rest of North Africa. I'm particularly fond of this version. If you have not had this before, you MUST try it. It is truly delicious!

6 votes
24254 views
Minestrone Romagna Style

Minestrone Romagna Style by John Spottiswood

This is the way minestrone is made in Romagna. It's not a lot of prep time, but you simmer the soup for a long time until all of the vegetable flavors mellow into one mild but delicious soup. The subtle flavors of this soup are even more delicious the next day, so it is a good dish to prepare in advance of guests arriving for a…

14 votes
21619 views
Moroccan Fish Soup

Moroccan Fish Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a flavorful, spicy soup that happens to be Moroccan but will remind you of fish soups found from Spain to Russia. It is a classic! Serves 4 as a main dish, 6 as an appetizer.

4 votes
23664 views
Awesome Split Pea Soup

Awesome Split Pea Soup by John Spottiswood

We made this soup by combining the best of two recipes...one from America's Test Kitchen and one from Cook's Illustrated's the Best New Recipe. I think this is a split pea soup that can't be beat!

8 votes
11858 views
Alton Brown Lentil Soup

Alton Brown Lentil Soup by John Spottiswood

I adapted this recipe from one by Alton Brown. I added spinach, potatoes, and scallions and removed grains of paradise. Our whole family really enjoyed this recipe. I made it alongside an Indian curried lentil soup recipe, and while both were good, this was the hands down winner. If you're looking for a tasty, hearty, and healthy…

10 votes
10069 views
Moroccan Split Pea Soup

Moroccan Split Pea Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a delicious and beautiful recipe I adapted from one in Paula Wolfert's beautiful book "the food of morocco". The split pea soup has wonderful Moroccan flavors, and it gets a beautiful touch when you drizzle homemade pepper oil on top. This is a super easy trick which adds a nice kick to the already flavorful soup. It's…

3 votes
7226 views
Creole Vegetable and Beef Soup

Creole Vegetable and Beef Soup by John Spottiswood

This was a tasty soup that we gladly ate two nights in a row. I added quite a bit of extra creole seasoning to my bowl, because I love the flavor. This soup would still have been wonderful without the meat (I scooped much of mine into our kids' bowls), but I'd keep the meat in in if you are not vegetarian as it adds depth to the…

3 votes
2555 views
Turkish Red Lentil Soup

Turkish Red Lentil Soup by John Spottiswood

I order this every time I go out for Turkish food. It is an amazingly flavorful and wonderful soup. It's always a little different wherever I have it, but it is always phenomenal. This recipe, culled from 2-3 that I found online, is no exception. It's a bit full bodied, almost like a stew, compared to others I have had. I loved…

6 votes
7235 views
Eggplant and Peas Stew

Eggplant and Peas Stew by John Spottiswood

This recipe was invented by my good friend Brian Bedrosian. He recommends that you "Should drink red wine while cooking and eating for best results." I haven't tried this one yet...but every other Armenian concoction I've tasted of Brian's has been outstanding!

5 votes
4635 views
Creamy Lentil and Broccoli Soup

Creamy Lentil and Broccoli Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a creamy, flavorful, and incredibly healthy soup. The next time you're in the mood for split pea soup (also very healthy), try this instead. It has a wonderful body and a great hearty flavor. If you haven't had sumac before as a seasoning, this is a great dish to try it with. Sumac is commonly used in the middle east to…

8 votes
4074 views
Amazing Red Lentil and Tomato Soup

Amazing Red Lentil and Tomato Soup by John Spottiswood

I never thought I would have a red lentil soup that could match the Turkish red lentil soup that I have been served in Turkish restaurants and that I've learned to make. So I had low expectations for this Indian spiced version. It completely destroyed my expectations and was absolutely delicious. It was great last night, and I had…

6 votes
5805 views
Curry Lentil Soup

Curry Lentil Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a surprisingly light and tangy lentil soup. If you are used to thick and heavy lentil soups, this one will surprise you. It's very tasty and was a great complement to the pizza recipe I just put up. This is also adapted from a Greens restaurant recipe.

11 votes
7203 views
Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup by John Spottiswood

This is a very tasty version of the great american classic. I made this recently and had a bowl with a piece of good Italian bread after a long day of work. it was a cool evening, and this meal was just perfect. More flavorful that you expect, but still reminds you of childhood days.

3 votes
4656 views