Throwdown: Peanuts

Y'all, we's havin' a Culinary Throwdown initiated by The Troll, and hosted by Pure Florida who set the rules.

The featured ingredient is PEANUTS


This heah is my entry

Appetizer:

Atomic Peanuts

1 16 oz can or bag of shelled plain roasted peanuts
1/2 butter
1 tsp olive oil
3 drops Tabasco
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Melt butter with oil in wide saute pan
stir in cayenne, Tabasco, add peanuts and saute on low heat for 4-5 minutes.
sprinkle with salt to taste. (add more cayenne if desired).

Serve warm or room temp.

Salad:
Peanut Slaw

Shred one small head each of green and red cabbage
soak 1 cup golden raisins in 1/2 cup pineapple juice
rough chop 1 cup salted peanuts
1 cup of Marzetti Slaw Dressing
1 TBS peanut butter
2 TBS cream (or milk)

Add drained raisins to cabbage and toss with peanuts, combine last 3 ingredients and pout over slaw, mix--add the pineapple juice from the soaked raisins if you like moister slaw.

SOUP/ Entree:

Peanutbutter and Bacon Soup
Serves 8

8 bacon strips cooked bacon, drippings reserved.
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion- chopped
4 tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp white pepper
8 cups homemade chicken stock

2 cups Skippy Creamy peanut butter
2 cups half-and-half

Garnish
1 cup sour cream
4 finely chopped green onions
1 cup chopped fine salted peanuts
8 strips of bacon, chopped

Melt butter and bacon drippings in large soup pot. Saute yellow onion in butter/drippings over medium heat until clear and soft( 5 miutes).

Stir in flour and cook 2-3 minutes until golden. Stir in white pepper and cook 30 seconds.

Heat stock in microwave until hot but not boiling. Slowly pout 2 cups of hot stock over flour and stir (whisk) until smooth, add remaining stock. Cook ten minutes over low heat.

Pour soup through a strainer into a large bowl, return liquid to soup pot. Whirl strained solids (yellow onion) in blender with the cream and peanut butter, add to soup, cook over low for 5=7 minutes. Taste for salt--add more if needed.

Meanwhile, chop green onions, bacon and peanuts, mix together.

TO serve, ladle soup in heated wide bowls, and top with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle tablespoon of garnish mix over sour cream.

AND NOW, fer dessert:


Creme de Cacao Peanutbutter Night Cap

Combine 1 tsp smooth peanutbutter with 1/2 cup half and half and 1oz Dark Creme de Cacao--pour over crushed ice, top with dash of nutmeg.

Heh.