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For those of us Southerners who don't live near a peanut farm or who can't cajole friends and relatives into buying and sending us care packages of green peanuts, here is a solution sent to me by a fan: RAW peanuts in the shell can be substituted and will turn out even better when boiled than the smaller green peanuts. (This recipe works equally well for green peanuts, btw, but the raw, even sun-dried peanuts, are firmer in texture, larger, and make a much better snack.) Use the large Georgia, Virginia or Texas varieties if you can find them. I was thrilled to find these super beauties in my local Wal-Mart Super Store. Look in the produce section for cellophane bags of one pound size. I usually cook 4 bags at a time in a huge stainless steel pot I bought especially for this reason. Pour peanuts into a large cookpot along with one-half to one cup salt, depending on how salty you like your goobers. Cover with water and bring to a fast boil. Lower heat and let gently boil for about two hours. You want the peanut to be firm, not mushy. The water will turn grayish and the air will smell salty. That's a good sign. You can add a bottle of Louisiana Red Hot Sauce to the pot if you like Cajun-style spicy peanuts. You can even boil them in beer if you like, but to me that's a waste of a perfectly good libation. My grandaddy boiled his peanuts in Moonshine (the liquid kind), but that was to hide his imbibing from grandmama. Didn't work, but he always thought he'd fooled her! After you've cooked the peanuts to the texture you prefer, let sit in the water for at least one hour to soak up the brine.When thoroughly cooled, pour off the water and store your boiled peanuts in the frige. Re-heat in a small serving-size bowl in your microwave if you prefer your peanuts warm. Re-heating time: 1-2 minutes depending on how large your serving-snack bowl is. YOU CAN FREEZE BOILED PEANUTS IN ZIPPER BAGS! And they'll keep for months.  Page |
