Some time ago I gave you the menu for a ‘curious all-peanut dinner’, and I was reminded of it when I came across the following interesting (but surely too-sweet) recipe for a ham dish made with peanut butter.
Nut Crust Ham Slice.
(Serves 4)
1 slice ham 1-inch thick.
½ cup peanut butter.
1 cup soft breadcrumbs.
¼ cup melted butter.
1 cup milk.
Place ham in greased baking dish, cover with peanut butter, sugar, bread crumbs, melted butter, and cover with the milk. Bake in a moderate oven about one hour, being careful not to let the ham get too brown.
[The Washington Post, Nov 18, 1936]
Surely there are other interesting ways to use peanut butter, apart from in cookies and cakes? Here are a few you might like, from The Use of Peanuts on the Home Table, a bulletin from the University of Texas in 1917.
Peanut Turnips.
Slice turnips in rounds, throw into rapidly boiling water or meat stock and cook until tender. Place layer of turnips in bottom of buttered baking dish, sprinkle over these chopped roasted peanuts, and pour over this peanut butter thinned with warm water to consistency of cream. Repeat until dish is filled. Cover with bread crumbs. Season each layer with salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for about fifteen minutes, basting every little while with peanut butter thinned with a little hot water.
Potato and Peanuts.
6 medium sized cold boiled potatoes.
2 cups white sauce.
1 cup chopped roasted peanuts, or ½ cup peanut butter may be used.
White Sauce.
4 tablespoons butter.
4 tablespoons flour.
2 cups milk.
Cut cold potatoes into cubes and mix with white sauce, to which the peanuts have been added. Put in a buttered baking dish, cover with bread crumbs, heat in oven until crumbs are light brown. Serve in baking dish.
Peanut Butter Dressing.
2 eggs, beaten.
4 tablespoons vinegar.
2 tablespoons peanut butter.
4 tablespoons sugar.
1 teaspoon salt.
1 cup cream, whipped.
Cook together the vinegar, eggs, sugar, salt and peanut butter: cool. Add cream and serve on head of lettuce.
Quotation for the Day.
Avoid fruit and nuts. You are what you eat.
Jim Davis.
That ham recipe shouldn't be too sweet if made with old-fashioned peanut butter. G.W. Carver's original peanut butter formula is nothing but peanuts, peanut oil, and (if desired) salt. It has to be stirred from the bottom now and then or it will separate, but it's a very satisfying food, savory and toothsome. Modern peanut butter is to old-fashioned as pasteurized processed cheese food is to a nice wedge of Cheddar.
ReplyDeleteMy apologies if you already know this stuff.
Jenny Islander