The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy. The Gulf oil spill has completely changed the dynamic of my job recently. This has resulted in much longer days in which I don’t feel like cooking a meal when I get home or experimenting with any new tastes or concoctions. This has turned into focusing on comfort foods that make us feel better and take the mind off of the tragedy we have on our shore. I always found it weird that every funeral I’ve attended was consequently followed by a feast. It’s surprising the power of food helps at least for the moment to overcome some of that grief and is understandable that the mind turns to comfort foods to…well, comfort us. In the next few posts I’ll be sharing some of our comfort foods that always make the day seem brighter until l of course were contemplating why we had thirds.
For now I’d like to focus on making quick snacks. Something we can pull out of the pantry and snack on instantaneously. One of my favorites that are great on bread, celery, apples and bananas is peanut butter. Peanut butter is a food that is full of “good” fats and oils and helps give you a full feeling after eating a relatively small amount while being delicious. Unfortunately store bought brands, even the low fat, are loaded with sugars and hydrogenated vegetable oils. If you make your own you can limit the ingredients to about 4. Peanuts, peanut oil, salt and honey (optional but worth it).
I used one of my favorite sources for this recipe, Alton Brown. Here is the link to the original recipe. Original Recipe Link
The one variation I made was buying shelled and blanched peanuts. There is little time for shelling my own and can’t yet say that it would be worth it unless buying farm fresh maybe. So here is Alton’s Recipe;
Ingredients
- 15 ounces shelled and skinned AB’s roasted peanuts, recipe follows
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
Directions
Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Roasted Peanuts:
- 2 pounds in-shell raw peanuts*
- 2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 1 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt
*Cooks note: If eating peanuts roasted right out of the shell, use Virginia or Valencia peanuts. If utilizing roasted peanuts to make peanut butter, use Spanish peanuts as they have a higher oil content.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated.
Place on 2 half sheet pans, making sure to spread them out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool slightly before eating. They will continue to “cook” and become crunchy as they cool.
If using peanuts to make peanut butter, remove shells and discard. Remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts together in your hands held over a salad spinner, allowing the peanuts and skins to fall into the bowl. Once the skin has been loosened from all of the peanuts close the salad spinner and spin until all of the skin has been separated from the peanuts.
That’s all there is to it. In about an hour you can make your own Peanut Butter without any of the preservatives, sugar and hydrogenated oils. Now I just need a good recipe for some jelly or jam.
Bonus: For reading this entire post I’d like to share a recipe clone of my favorite candy of all times;
Single Ingredient Project 