This one had a summer veggie theme, so I looked for the current local big-deal crop.
Watermelons have been over for some time, but the peanuts are coming in, so let's make some traditional boiled peanuts.
Here are some beautiful jumbos. These are green peanuts, fresh out of the field. I imagine such a thing is hard to find north of peanut country. They are a major crop in this county and have a bit of a reputation.
My good buddy,Denny, who is a fishing guide out of Cedar Key recently told me that one of his clients always asks him to pick up two 50 pound bags of Williston Jumbos as a favor. The client is from south Georgia ... which is definitely peanut growing country, but he preferred "those Williston Jumbos" to the local Georgia variety.
(By the way, if you are planning a visit to Cedar Key and want to laugh your butt off with the funniest and luckiest fishing guide on the Gulf of Florida, give Denny a call at 352-486-3763 ... you won't be sorry!)
Back to peanuts ...
Listen carefully, because this is a tough recipe.
First you boil some water.
Then you add some salt ... about 1 tablespoon per quart of water.
Pictured: A raw green peanut ... yes I ate it.
Add your peanuts and boil them until they are soft ... I like them "al dente".
When they are about done, turn off the heat and let them soak.
The longer they soak, the saltier they will become, so how long they soak is up to your own taste.
Whew!
That was tough.
Now ... here's the thing.
There's no need to go all crazy thinking of other seasonings to toss in the pot.
All boiled peanuts need is salt.
Sodium Chloride.
NaCl.
I see the roadside boiled peanut stands advertising cajun or garlic boiled peanuts as I ride around and I confess it boggles me a bit.
It is not necessary to Food Network-up all food.
If you want to put mint chocolate raspberry sauce on your fish or add urchin roe to your grits, well, I guess it's a free country, but I'll pass.
Pass the salt that is!
If, somehow, all your boiled peanuts are not eaten the moment they cool off, they will keep in the fridge for days.
So class, to summarize:
Boiled peanuts are slightly more difficult to make than boiling water.
You can do it.
I didn't make Eggy's deadline, so this is a noncompetitive post for her smackdown, but I'm still posting for the fun of it. I believe she will have more on the subject so you might want to drop in on her.
15 comments:
Alas we live in climes where green peanuts are nonexistent.
At least we have maple syrup and I know how to boil that. lol...they sound wonderful!
Thanks for joining in, FC! I've never had boiled peanuts, being from way north of the peanut belt. But these sound tasty, and you sure hit the "lazy" days of summer part of the theme on head :)
Very timely. I just made a batch today.
And while I am not too far up north, we still get the raw peanuts. As long as there is a road and a truck...
Ya know, FC, some women look great without getting up every morning and painting the barn, so to speak. Boiled peanuts are of the same ilk. They don't need paprika, cajun seasoning, italian seasoning, or any other paint mixture. Just plain and simple, like you said.
I'm with you, just boiled peanuts for me. Your recipe sounds perfect. I can only eat two or three hundred at a time though so I have to do small batches.
You should give some indication of how they're properly pronounced... more like bald peanuts, no?
; )
I had them for the first time this winter from a roadside truck outside St. Marks... I thought of them as more of a cultural experience than a delicacy, but maybe that funny peanut softness grows on a person...
"found a peanut, found a peanut, found a peanut jes' now...."
I had to laugh, FC, the teacher missed the assignment deadline?? --I also missed the deadline an' wanted to enter--drat. But ya did it anyway --er, "ate it anyway , ate it anyway..."
urchin roe in mah grits? Gag. NEVER. As in EVER. So youse SO RIGHT, jes' throw in the salt an' let'em be. Doan mess wif perfection.
BTW, do yore datils turn red? I has a very small pale yaller conical pepper no more'n inch an' half long, on a prolific bush that grew about four feet high--Uncle say the Good Lord put that pepper on earth so there'd be one thang even the devil would not touch. brought it home from a farmer's market....but them wee yaller thangs do turn red. I cain't figger out what it is.
hope you and yores is well.
How about throwing in a datil pepper, sounds good to me. just gives it a little kick..
Got some datil pepper plants but no peppers yet. Wondering if the peppers will show up. tammy in LA
Ah yes, one of God's finest edible creations. Betcha can't eat just one. Make mine plain, as well. Bald peanuts is one ingredient I don't particularly want to see on Chopped.
I haven't been down thataway since Hector was a pup. Might have to turbo the AC and make a jumbo run. Maybe do a little gene-snooping around the local cemeteries. But first, those peaches are calling me northersomely...
It's so easy, even I can do it!! LOL
peanuts are on my to-grow-someday list. it does get hot here.
no green peanuts available tho. we will have to make do with roasted till i work out the growing part.
I see signs for boiled peanuts and it boggles MY mind. Why turn a perfectly good food to mush? When it comes to boiled peanuts, I just say NO.
Vicki,
If it's mush, they overcooked em!
roger,
roasted is good too!
Cindy,
Told everyone it was easy!
Sophie,
Peaches are good!
Tammy,
They may not bloom if the nights are really warm, but should later in the summer.
Aunty,
LOL!
We think alike on boilt peanuts!
Datils are a little wrinkly and turn orange with hints of purple sometimes.
A red pepper is something else.
Laura,
Bald peanuts is exactly right! LOL!
Kevin,
There never seem to be enough.
FLblogger,
Plain is good!
Crackernation,
Great minds think alike!
Eggy,
I can do lazy if I work at it.
3Collie,
Alas we live below the maple syrup line!
fortunately a (fellow yankee) friend warned me about boiled peanuts before i encountered one.
her advise: do not think of it as a peanut. you'll hate it. think of it as a bean, and you'll be okay. she was exactly right.
Hmmmm....so the yellow to red chile pepper continues, I thought Aunty's pepper was a datil too.
I must confess, FC, I don't like boiled peanuts. I love peanuts, peanut butter, peanuts in Thai food and chicken sate with peanut sauce but can't do the boiled ones. Why?
Interesting summer veggie for the smackdown, many went with tomatoes!
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