Thursday, February 19, 2009

My Peanut Butter


With all the recent concern about peanuts, I thought it was a good time to learn to make my own peanut butter. I chose Oklahoma grown raw Spanish peanuts from Lasley Family Farm and roasted them for about 30 minutes in a 350 oven. I will purchase roasted peanuts next time, as removing the skin from the peanuts was not fun.

Following Alton Brown's recipe for homemade peanut butter, I used my food processor to grind peanuts, oil, salt and honey to velvety goodness. When I took the lid off the processor, the heady roasted aroma made me weak.

Storing in the refrigerator preserves homemade peanut butter for up to two months, if it lasts that long.


A recent post on Shelby's blog inspired me to try My Peanut Butter in her Asian-inspired recipe. I adapted the ingredients to what I had on hand, including substituting dry sherry for the rice vinegar and omitting the ketchup and Hoisin sauce. I think the ingredients can be adjusted according to one's taste and sense of adventure. Here is my version:

Sesame Peanut Spaghetti
8 oz dry spaghetti
2 small uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Cook spaghetti in boiling water to desired doneness. Drain and set aside.

In a small saucepan over low heat, mix and warm peanut butter, sherry, brown sugar and soy sauce, gradually adding water until smooth. Set aside.

Heat vegetable oil in wok, add garlic and onion, saute until softened. Push to the side and add diced chicken. Saute until lightly browned and no longer pink. Push to the side and add sesame oil, heating briefly before adding spaghetti. Toss spaghetti with other wok ingredients. Add peanut butter sauce and mix thoroughly. Serve.

This was one of those meals that we could not stop eating. The savory peanut butter sauce coated and soaked into the spaghetti strands to produce rich, toothsome, very satisfying fare.

I did not photograph the finished product, because I had already sampled it and could not wait any longer to eat it. I did, however, take a lovely photo of what was left in the wok after dinner, right before I ate the last bites.

12 comments:

  1. Very timely - and looks good too. Nice tip on the joys of removing peanut skins!

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  2. You made your OWN pb?? You have no idea how much I adore pb...you're my hero. :)

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  3. Great idea to make peanut butter! And, the sesame peanut spaghetti sounds fantastic.

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  4. hhhmmmm... Do you think you could reduce the oil? Maybe in the roasting process? hmmmmmmm... things to ponder! ;)

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  5. Oh wow, homemade peanut butter. How FUN!

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  6. oh man, homemade peanut butter?! I love it!

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  7. Thank you Timeless Gourmet, for stopping by. I did find a tip from Alton Brown about using the salad spinner for the peanut skins, and it worked fairly well!

    Carrie, you can do this too! And it's vegan. ;)

    Lisa, I just saw the most delish looking banana cake on your blog.

    Susie, I didn't use any oil when I roasted the peanuts. You can try cutting down on the oil. I only used about 2 teaspoons. It almost needs a little oil to make it spreadable.

    LadyJP, it was fun. ;)

    Jessie, thank you for visiting!

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  8. One day when I'm feeling extra culinary, I'm going to try this! My real life friends are always making fun of me for making "ready-made" products. (chili sauce, cream of mushroom soup, brown gravy soup mix, taco seasonings, chocolate syrup, to name a few that have made go "you made what? Why?" LOL) I love to give things like this a try! Thanks Granny!

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  9. It has been a number of years since I made homemade peanut butter and you have made me wonder why I ever stopped. I just noticed that my local health food store has roasted organic peanuts in bulk. Once again, you have inspired me!

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  10. Susie, it's funny how people are shocked when you "make your own", but the "real thing" is always better!

    Cookin'Mama, if those roasted organic peanuts are already skinned, they are worth their weight in gold. :))

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  11. You're a genius! I agree with Lobs, you're my hero!

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  12. Wow; I've seen a few bloggers do this and you make me REALLY want to! I love your version of those pb noodles too. I'm going to have to make those soon, maybe with some grilled teriyaki chicken! I even bought hoisin sauce.

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