Peanut butter’s standing amongst the pantheon of kitchen essentials is assured. If for no other reason than making the beloved sandwich with jelly, people (at least those of us that aren’t allergic) will forever have the nutty spread in their cupboards. Ahead of National Peanut Butter day on January 24th, we dug through our bookshelves to find some other applications than just jamming two pieces of bread and being unable to answer radio trivia questions because you ran out of milk.

I think the easiest way to go with peanut butter is to jump into something that features chocolate (hi, Reese’s!). While we will get into a fun dessert a little later, let’s indulge in a little savory first.

You can find peanuts in many culinary cultures around the world to varying degrees. In the countries of Africa and Southeast Asia, they hold a very prominent place and not just as an accent. With its protein-rich composition, peanut products are a nutritious staple. Peanut butter, specifically, can be used as the fat in many recipes or a thickening agent. Or just imparting a nice roundness to a dish that has a lot of other flavors that might be sharper, which is where you’ll find it in this noodle recipe from The Mission Chinese Cookbook. Danny Bowien wanted to present what he calls an “umami bomb” that was also simple to make. While the ingredient list might seem extensive, its 2-pot approach will make for easy cleanup.

Squid-Ink Noodles with Minced Pork and Peanut Sauce
serves 6

2 tablespoons lard or vegetable oil
1/2 pound cold pork jowl confit (recipe in book), diced or 1/2 pound ground pork
1/4 cup finely diced lap cheong (Chinese sausage)
3/4 pound cleaned squid, tentacles removed and left whole, bodies cut into 1/4-inch-wide rings
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup 1/2-inch pieces) scallion greens
1/2 cup diced onion
1 1/2 pounds fresh squid ink spaghetti or pappardelle (try an Italian grocer)
2 tablespoons chili oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 English cucumber, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
6 (1/4-inch-thin slices) oshinko or takian (Japanese pickled radish), optional

Spicy Peanut Sauce
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup tahini
1/2 teaspoon ground Sichuan pepper
1 (1-inch) square dashi kombu, ground to a powder in a spice grinder or blender
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime
3/4 teaspoon yuzu kosho or lemon kosho

1. Prepare the peanut sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse until everything comes together in a smooth sauce.
2. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, get a wok very over high heat, then coat it with the lard. Add the pork and Chinese sausage and stir-fry until the meat is crisp and browned on the edges, about 2 minutes. Add the squid and black beans and stir-fry until the squid is just cooked, about 2 minutes. Season with the soy sauce and sugar. Then add the scallions and onion. Give everything a good toss and remove the wok from the heat.
3. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until the noodles are just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and toss them in a large bowl with the chili oil, garlic, and vinegar.
4. Divide the noodles among the six bowls and top each bowl with a generous spoonful of the peanut sauce, followed by an equally generous scoop of the pork and squid. Garnish with the cilantro, cucumber, and sprinklings of the Sichuan pepper, sugar, and sesame seeds. Finally, if you managed to make it to the Japanese grocery store, nestle a little piece of the pickled radish in each bowl.

I bet you thought dessert was going to be cocoa-derived. Gotcha! Peanut butter plays well with many other partners. Apples, cinnamon, oatmeal and citrus are among them. You can also enjoy it with another tropical treat: bananas. Next time you have a banana, just grab your favorite peanut spread and treat yo’ self. Taking it a step forward, Brooks Headley concocts a dessert around brûléed bananas and serves it with a nutty-cheesy combination in Fancy Desserts. 

Peanut Butter Mascarpone with Bejeweled Bananas
serves 4

Croutons:
1 loaf rustic Italian bread
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
Extra-virgin olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Using a knife, split open the loaf, pull it into two halves, and tear the bread out in bite-size pieces.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the bread, sugar, salt, and olive oil to taste. It’s up to you how sweet or salty you would like your croutons.
4. Spread the pieces of bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, stir and bake until golden brown throughout, about 10 minutes more.

1 cup mascarpone
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 bananas, cut into 1/2-inch slices
2 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Croutons (recipe above)

1. Turn oven up to 500 degrees
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the mascarpone, peanut butter, and salt, being careful not to overmix – the mascarpone will split. You’ll know if it does because it will look, well, not right.
3. On an unlined baking sheet, space out the bananas evenly, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and place under the broiler until the sugar is bubbly and the bananas lose their shape, about 1 minute, maybe less.
4. Surround a scoop of the peanut cream with the bananas, top with the remaining sugar and finish with the croutons.

Stop by COOK for your copy of either of the above titles!