3594. BOILED PEANUT HUMMUS with COUNTRY BACON and FETA CHEESE

yields four servings


Hummus:
2 cups shelled boiled peanuts

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 small clove fresh garlic
4 tablespoons good-quality olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper, as needed
1/4 cup cooked bacon, chopped fine, for garnish
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

Toast:
1 loaf kalamata olive bread or baguette, thinly sliced
Olive oil, for drizzling
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan

For the hummus: Set the peanuts on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and allow to air dry for 30 minutes.

Transfer to a clean kitchen towel and roll the peanuts around while applying light pressure with the palm of your hand. This will remove some of the skins off of the peanuts.

Place the peanuts, lemon juice, tahini, parsley, coriander, cumin, paprika and garlic in a food processor. Process for 1 minute and then, with the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The hummus should have a smooth, loosely spreadable consistency. Adjust with a tablespoon of hot water if needed. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to your serving bowl of choice. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, the crumbled bacon and feta cheese.

For the toast: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay your thinly sliced bread pieces on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Bake until golden brown and fully crisped, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve alongside your delicious hummus.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Levon Wallace, Chef of Proof on Main, 21c Museum Hotel (@21cLouisville), Louisville, KY

3403. BOILED PEANUT SOUP with BACON

serves four


1/4 lb. slab bacon or 4 slices thick-cut bacon, finely diced
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 1/2 large onions)
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups boiled peanuts, shelled
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme (from twelve 5-inch sprigs)
1 1/2 cups two-percent milk
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
finely ground white pepper to taste

Scatter the diced bacon in a 12-inch skillet and saute over medium-high heat, moving the pieces around with a slotted spoon until the bacon is firm and just golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a small bowl. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and discard.

Add the onion to the skillet and saute until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, peanuts, and 2 teaspoons thyme, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer vigorously, uncovered, until the peanuts have slipped their skins and the broth is reduced by one quarter, about 10 minutes.

Transfer some of the soup to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, about 3 minutes. Repeat, processing in batches until all the soup is pureed. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into the pot; you should have about 3 cups. Add the milk and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle into bowls and garnish each bowl with pinches of the remaining thyme leaves.


bacon recipe source: The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook: Stories and Recipes for Southerners and Would-Be Southerners, by Matt Lee & Ted Lee (NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006)