Not only do I have a tiny (I mean tiny like 3ft x 2ft space) kitchen at the moment, cooking isn't something I'm doing a lot of this season because it's just so damn hot. Sadface. I need something that doesn't take up much space, and something that doesn't generate a ton of heat.
So after much deliberation, I purchased an Instant Pot - an electric pressure cooker. Supposedly the best thing I could spend money on next to electricity or running water (there's a surprisingly huge fan club for these things). As a cook and someone who lives in a tiny space, I'm pretty excited about it's potential.
The very first thing made in this guy - Boiled Peanuts.
I've lived a lot of places but I'm basically a Southern girl. You get a craving for this dish once you've had it the right way once, and it will haunt you for the rest of your life. A wonderful snack, hot or cold, summer or winter and incredibly versatile with seasonings.
Truth is, there are about as many boiled peanut stands on the side of the road around here as churches in Texas (and most convenience stores have a corner with a steaming crock pot full of them) but, like most things, they're so much better if you make them yourself. I find a lot of places these days buy them pre-packaged in cans and heat them up. Eww.
Sometimes, when you're on the hunt for the flavor of your childhood, that good ol' soul food, your best bet is to figure it out yourself.
Here is the recipe, it's so easy you don't need to measure:
*Plug in your Instant Pot and open up a 1.5 pound (24oz) bag of roasted, salted peanuts in the shell.**See below
*Pour peanuts into the pot.
*Add water to cover peanuts and weight with something to keep them submerged. (I used the metal steam rack the Instant Pot comes with and a can of tomato sauce with the label removed).
*Put the lid on, make sure the steamer nozzle is set to Sealing.
*Set to the Manual mode and the timer for 90 minutes.
That's it. No salt - these are already salted! As the liquid cooks down, it gets saltier. Don't add salt until they're completely done, and have a taste first. Add other seasonings if you like (again, watch the salt content) but that's the basics.
Store in an airtight container in the 'fridge for a week or as long as they last. Can be Canned and stored indefinitely (but they're better fresh). Serve cold or hot.
**Ok now, before anyone freaks out... I do realize that 99.9% of all Southerners and recipes out there insist that you cannot under any circumstances use any other peanuts than Raw Green Peanuts.
I get it. But I couldn't find them at my local grocery and I wasn't about to go on a witch hunt for these things in this heat. I know it probably upsets a lot of folks. By all means, if you can find them, use the Raw Green ones - they're certainly superior.
But here I did it with the Roasted, and they were delicious.
Seriously, it works just fine. Get back in your grave, gramma.
I'm sure there are as many ways to make Boiled Peanuts as stars in the sky, but here are a few
Fun flavor combinations:
Traditional - Fresh garlic + garlic & onion powders + red pepper flakes
Cajun - Cajun Seasoning (such as Zataran's) + Crab Boil Seasoning (+ sliced fresh Jalapenos if you want to die)
Curry - Curry Powder (or garam masala)
Beer Boiled - 1 bottle of beer per pound of peanuts + water to cover
Chili & Lime - Chili powder + lime juice + lime zest (or use Lucas if you can find it)
Porky - toss in cured/smoked ham products like ham hock
Chili & Lime - Chili powder + lime juice + lime zest (or use Lucas if you can find it)
Porky - toss in cured/smoked ham products like ham hock
