Many of my favorite recipes are born of excess of a particular ingredient, or a desire not to waste. And living in a Costco world where things come in huge amounts, or having no self control at the farmers market, sometimes overwhelming amounts of food can come to exist in your pantry, freezer, or sitting out on the kitchen table for months on end. Such is the case with a couple of gallons of boiled peanuts that we've had in the freezer all through the winter. One of them was a meh batch, the shells too soggy for my liking and the nuts within not developed enough to make half of them worth snacking on.
As summer approaches once more, I knew I needed to clear out those old peanuts to make room for the inevitable barrage of them that I will gladly welcome (if they aren't soggy!). I've heard of a few restaurants serving boiled peanut hummus here and there but as far as I can recall, I had not had the boiled peanut hummus.
I brought my laptop into the kitchen and set up to shell while watching a few episodes of shows (Pen15, anyone? It is so realistic it makes me cringe!) and took down a gallon within two episodes, so let's say 45 minutes. It's a thankless task so I would not recommend making this boiled peanut hummus for a big crowd. It's the kind of special recipe you'll only want to share with those who will appreciate the effort of the shelling.
Boiled Peanut Hummus
Ingredients
- 2 cups shelled boiled peanuts
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5 tbsp lemon juice
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- pepper and salt to taste
- extra peanuts to garnish
- butter crackers to serve
Instructions
- Once the peanuts are shelled, add the peanuts, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to a food processor.
- Blend and immediately begin pouring the olive oil in. It should smooth out once all of the oil is in. Add a little more if needed to smooth the consistency into a thick, smooth paste.
- You can blend a little less for a chunkier consistency if you like. Do not add salt until its blended together and add very sparingly to taste. Add more pepper if desired.
- Serve with butter crackers or crudites.
I know this recipe is a hit because I asked hummus -hating but boiled peanut-loving Patrick to try it and he delicately licked a dollop off of a cracker and then stuffed the rest of the hummus covered cracker in his mouth to finish it off. His thoughts? "Nice and salty."
Several of my food writer friends came over too and were asking for the recipe, so I hope it graces your picnics, snacks-for-supper, and poolside hangouts that I should be invited too, all summer long, you know ... through October. Serve this up with butter crackers and a refreshing beverage because the salty will get you after a while Stay hydrated in this heat!
There you have it ya'll, a good way to 1) use soggy peanuts, 2) use too many peanuts, and 3) give a new riff to serving regular ol' hummus. Happy summertime and 100 degree weather to all ya'll.