Cheats Home made Peanut Butter

Ilove salted peanuts. To date though I haven't found any quite like I used to have when I was a child. The closest so far has to be Julian Graves. My grandfather used to buy ready salted peanuts fresh off the market in Lincoln, used to bring them home put them in a screw top jar (usually an old horlicks jar washed out and dried with the nuts being decanted into the jar). He then used to pop them down by the side of the open coal fire (latterly the log burner).The heat from the fire and the log burner used to help release the oils in the nuts so they kinda self-lubricated and were always scrummy. Pop always used to have a few each day after supper. We used to be given some of this treasure every time we went, and child like we used to wait for Pop to dish up the salted peanuts they were special a treat and we only got them at Pop's. The flavour lovely warm and pungent, they have left such an imprint on my mind and palate.

As a result I am very fond of peanut butter - not good for the waistline - but hey that went years ago. I also don't like wasting things, and when there are some peanuts needing using up I make this and store it in the fridge. Its a Mary Berry Recipe from her book Food Processor Cookery ISBN 0-86188-957-6.

Requirements: Food Processor

Ingredients: 6 oz roasted salted peanuts
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of sunflower oil

Method:

Set up your food processor using the blade attachment.

Measure out your peanuts and then warm the peanuts in a frying pan just to heat through but make sure you keep an eye so that they don't scorch.Then place them into the bowl, then with the machine running pour in oil through the funnel a little at a time until you have the texture you like; i.e. rough or smooth; the less oil used the smoother the end result will be.

You can use any peanuts you like with dry roasted giving the most traditional taste. No need to add any sugar although you can vary the flavour by adding some almonds or hazlenuts to the peanuts so the recipe says. I personally have not tried this yet only the peanut butter version.

You can also use this to form the basis of a home made satay sauce.

I just love it spread on hunks of good bread - very tasty.

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