Boiled Peanuts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Recipe By: Steve Cutchen
Yield: 3 pounds
Summary:
Boiled peanuts are a staple of the South, and they evoke deep emotional memories for me. We would have them every time we travelled to visit my grandparents in Dothan, Alabama. I remember sitting on the front porch with my Granddaddy, on their metal slider, rocking back and forth, eating boiled peanuts as we watched folks go by.
I asked my Grandmother once how much salt I should add when boiling peanuts. She looked at me like I was dumb, and said, "Well, Steve, you put enough salt in there so that your water tastes like you want your peanuts." For someone as analytical as I am, this concept of cooking empirically was like a curtain pulled back. Cooking didn't have to be just about recipes. It was not a chemistry lab. Cooking was also about direct feedback. Taste, feel, sight and smell. When I smell peanuts on the boil, I remember my Grandmother.
In the South, folks use raw, green peanuts, and you can buy them in the produce section of the grocery store. However, I can't get them green, so I have to settle for raw, dried peanuts. These boil up just as nicely, they just take a lot longer to cook because, like a dried bean, they have to hydrate. Green peanuts will take much less time to cook.
Ingredients:
3 1 pound bags raw peanuts, in-shell (Max is 3 pounds. Two fits better)
3/8 cup kosher salt, to 1/2 cup
1 1/2 gallon water, plus more as space allows
Directions:
Wash the peanuts in cool water until the water runs clear.
In a 2 gallon soup pot, heat water and dissolve the salt. Taste the water. You want your water to be the same saltiness that you want your peanuts. Add the raw peanuts. Dry peanuts will float. Try to push them down into the water a bit. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer.
Simmer for about 4 hours. The time is an estimate. Total cooking time may be 4 hours, taste is the test. While boiling, cover the pot to retain heat and minimize water loss. Add water as needed as the level drops. Stir occasionally to mix the peanuts and give them all a turn at the bottom. As the peanuts absorb water, they will eventually sink. (if there is room. A full 3 pounds in a 2 gallon pot is pretty crowded.) This hydration takes a while. A good clue that they are getting close to being done is when most of them are sinkers.
When you have a significant number of sinkers, taste for doneness. The peanuts should have the consistency of a slightly underdone pinto bean.
When they are done, kill the heat and let the peanuts soak for about 10 minutes. Drain the peanuts and store in a zip-lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes:
This is health food! Peanuts may be high in fat, but it’s primarily the healthy poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids, that can actually help lower cholesterol. Peanuts are also high in fiber, potassium, and the B-vitamins riboflavin and folate. And protein, of course. Peanuts are high in the amino acids lysine and isoleucine. But they lack in tryptophan, cystine, and methionine, so you really need to pair them with something like wheat, to make a complete protein. Which explains the peanut butter sandwich.