Wednesday, August 4, 2010

oh, nuts.

Around these parts, peanuts usually come in a limited number of flavors: dry roasted and honey roasted. Oh, and peanut butter. I was shocked to learn that a certain portion of the country likes to boil their goobers...while still in their shells. Seriously.

But since I'm always up for a culinary adventure, SayUncle was kind enough to send me some green peanuts so that I could try his recipe.

First of all, I'd like to say that green peanuts smell weird, like dirt and raw potato. This combined with the description of boiled peanuts as "hot, salty snot and boogers inside a soaked, soggy, used-to-be-crunchy shell" and needless to say, I was a bit skeptical.

Undaunted, I gathered the ingredients and set about boiling my peanuts...for hours. I left the house with the peanuts still bubbling away on the stovetop only to return and find them...looking exactly the same. (I don't think it's a coincidence that every Southern recipe I've ever tried took a long time to cook.) After three and a half hours I gave up, declared them done...


...and really liked them. (with beer!)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

We call 'em "red neck edamame".

Robb Allen said...

Man, I just ADORE boiled peanuts. But I'm from Georgia and it's a law there that you enjoy them.

Now, we need to get you an iced tea maker so you can brew sweat tea the way God intended it.

OrangeNeck said...

Wait till you try peanuts in rice congee with sliced fish, fish cake, fish balls, chopped green onions, julienned ginger, a dash of sesame oil, salt and white pepper.

I think I'm really gonna have to come out there and visit and make it for you.

James A. Morman said...

Omigosh, I had forgotten one of my favorite things about visiting the wife's "kinfolk" in Georgia. The only place in town to buy ice (it was a block) was a homemade vending machine built in the side of an old wood shed. It was next to a little store that sold brown paper bags full of "Bawled peeeenutz"

SayUncle said...

Damn, I want orangeneck's recipe.

Heath J said...

Bwahahah!

You WILL be assimilated, Darlin' (As Acidman would've said)

Good stuff, eh?

Christina RN LMT said...

I've never had boiled peanuts before. And I was born in Georgia.

DixieLaurel said...

Your assimilation is almost complete.

sobriant74 said...

I grew up in SC, actually had a sign on the road to school that read "Balled P-NUTS" and a little stand, like a hot dog cart, on the side of the road that sold them about 9 months out of the year. Man do I miss those things now that I am in O-hi-O.

Mike W. said...

You're nuts Breda! :) I don't have the patience to wait hours just to eat a handful of peanuts. I suppose the fact that they go well with beer might help.

Pawpaw said...

Can't do boiled peanuts, and I'm about as deep-fried, Southern born redneck as anyone you might know.

I'll take mine roasted, if you please.

Craig said...

Cooking them in a pressure cooker takes less time.... Best when left overnight to soak up the salt from the water too.

RobertSlaughter said...

I've had them many times, and I prefer the firm edamame-like variety, and not the snot-in-a-soft-shell type. Anyone know how to get one instead of the other?

breda said...

I think if you overcook them, they might get snotty.

Ambulance Driver said...

I was tempted to boil my goober once.

After that, I vowed never to pick up a woman at a bar again, no matter how hot she looked when I was drunk.

bwaites said...

For years they have been a family tradition that I have hidden from friends! Only one time have I broken down and eaten them around Yankees, when I found a roadside stand in a little town in Washington State!

Welcome to the wonderful world of southern cuisine.

Goobers are one of the few TRULY southern delicacies, and properly done shouldn't be like boiled snot, but have a soft, yet slightly crunchy, texture with a distintly salty taste.

Dixie said...

Welcome to the wonderful world of southern cuisine.

For your next foray into the wonderful world of Southern cooking, try peas and butterbeans with a side of fried okra. Then you'll be hooked-- next thing you know, you'll be eating fried green tomato sandwiches...

j said...

Boil them goobers with hot sauce for a real treat!