It’s Food ‘n Flix time again! In this monthly group a ‘host’ picks a movie of their choice that pertains to food. Everyone watches the movie and then makes a recipe which the film inspired. It can be any recipe you want.
I’m so excited to be hosting this month again. It really is a fun group to get involved with and I love to see what the other participants come up with after we all see the same movie. I chose a very entertaining comedy drama that would require a little bit of mind flexing in choosing a recipe. The movie is not all about food but it plays a role. The movie in question is The Terminal and I decided to prepare Roasted and Salted Peanuts in the Shell.
The Terminal stars Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. It is about a man named Viktor who becomes trapped in JFK International Airport terminal when he is denied entry into the United States as his status becomes ‘unacceptable’ when his native country has a revolution while he was traveling. The film is partially inspired by the 17-year stay (1988 to 2006) of Mehran Karimi Nasseri in the Charles de Gaulle International Airport Terminal I in Paris.
I think it is the 3rd time I see this movie and I love it every time. I cry every time Viktor finally understands what is happening to his country while he sees the torn country by a revolution in the lounge on CNN. He cannot leave the terminal while being (un)stamped as an unacceptable. He is denied entry as he does not technically belong to an existing country. For his troubles he is told not to leave the terminal while being handed meal vouchers and a phone card. When he asks what he is supposed to do while waiting he is told by the security escort:
“There’s only one thing you can do here, Mr. Navorski. Shop”
Unfortunately the meal vouchers get lost. Viktor proves resourceful in figuring out how the feed himself with money earned by returning carts and later in construction. He makes the best of his situation and truly turns the Terminal into a home. We meet a few interesting characters who work at the airport. We witness two love stories: one that ends well and one that does not. Will Viktor finally make it into NYC or make it back home? Why did he come in the first place to the US. Get some popcorn and sit down for a great movie screening to find out.
Viktor spends a lot of time trying to feed himself in the movie. So we see snippets of food a lot. Some of the items shown are a sandwich and chips in a lunch box, pastry shop display, soda crackers stacked with free condiments (ketchup, mustard, relish) to make a sandwich, burger king whoppers, Canelloni, lobster ravioli, caviar, Brazilian walnuts filled with drugs and the mention that croissants were actually made by the Romanians in 1742. My personal inspiration came from a old Planter’s Peanut can Viktor carries with him.
Benny Golson, a famous jazz musician, cameos in the movie. Benny was at one time part of Dizzy Gillespie’s band. Dizzy composed a famous bebop song in 1943 called “Salt Peanuts” . Viktor keeps precious jazz related items in the can of salted peanuts. If that is not a perfect inspiration for a recipe to go with this movie than I do not know what is!
What is in the can of peanuts in the movie? Watch The Terminal to find out!
So how do they get the salt inside the shell? Soak in brine! Your biggest challenge may be finding raw peanuts in the shell. I got lucky on my second store. Well they may have been roasted already as I followed the time in the original recipe and they were a bit over roasted. So I suggest to take them out of the oven as soon as you stat smelling them. The salted taste was spot on!
Roasted and Salted Peanuts in the Shell
Ingredients
- 1 lb peanuts raw and in the shell
- 1/2 cup salt
- 8 cups water
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil in a large pasta pot. Dissolve the salt in the water and add the peanuts. Keep them submerged in the brine by taking a plate or pie pan and setting it on top of the floating peanuts. Stir them once every hour over the next 5 hours. Strain in a colander and rinse only lightly.
- Place a cooling rack on a cooking sheet. Place the peanuts on the rack in a single layer and allow them to dry for 3 days. Stir occasionally.
- Preheat oven to 350 F and roast on rack for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring at the 15 minute mark. The peanuts are ready when they start smelling.
Check out more peanut recipes here:
- Peanut Butter Fudge and Ganache Coffins
- Chinese Peanut Cookies
- Charred Broccoli Shrimp Pasta with Peanuts
Looking for more Southern-inspired recipes? Check out my other recipes below:
Do you boil the peanuts for 5 hours or do you turn the heat off and let them soak for 5 hours? Thanks!
Hi, you lower the heat but let it low boil the whole time. Thanks
I would like to know if I have to let them alldry ,or could I boil some after brining them?
You have to boil the water to melt the salt for the brine. Tne you have to dry them. Wet peanuts must not be to great.
Can you do the same with almonds in their shell.
Hi Mari, I don’t think you can salt them in brine but I read some nuts could be roasted in shell for between 15 to 30 minutes in a 350-degree-Fahrenheit oven. Score the shell before you roast them to ensure even cooking and use a chef’s knife make slits on the shells of these nuts before roasting them. The slits will allow the steam to escape as the nuts are roasting, thus preventing the nuts from exploding.
Love that movie – and roasting your own peanuts? Such a fun idea!
Love that you made roasted peanuts! What a clever idea! And yummy!
Such a great movie pick and I love your salted peanuts. An old boyfriend’s Mom used to make boiled salted peanuts (apparently a Southern treat) which have their own charms but I prefer my peanuts roasted. 😉 Thanks for hosting this month!
I never thought of roasting my own peanuts. Great take on this movie. Very creative. I never knew this movie was based on a real story either.
G’day and big thanks for hosting this great movie this month Evelyne!
Great recipe and remember the salted peanut carts vividly in New York City when I was little!
Cheers! Joanne @What’s On the List
Pinned and sharing the love today!
Love roasted peanuts. Will have to try this soon!
Sent you my entry…down to the wire. Sorry!
Thanks Heather for your compliment and how weird we share such a specific inspiration. Thanks for doing food n flix 🙂
Awesome! I loved this post, and your inspiration was the same as mine…that peanut can is probably my favorite aspect of the film. I actually immediately thought of the song Salt Peanuts in relation to the whole jazz and peanut thing, too…but (crazy enough), I’ve already done a post revolving around the song itself (here if you want to see it: http://www.girlichef.com/2013/08/SaltedPeanutSwirlPeanutButterIceCream.html). Thanks so much for being our host this month – this was a fun pick!
Another great recipe! I love all of them..they get added to my ever increasing list of to-make-s.
Great movie suggestion…I wanna see. AND eat these amazing morsels with it!
This is cool, great idea! I have never roasted peanuts, but I am willing to give it a try!
I love you make all kinds of DIY recipes! It’s really fun for us to watch how you prepare things from scratch. I’ve never roasted and salted peanuts before and it was interesting process to season the peanuts while they are in the shell!
Oh men, these peanuts look perfect. And I looove this movie, Tom and Zeta at their best! Thanks for the reminder.
Damnd delicious, we used tho served this as a snck in Bataknese descent traditional wedding…
Was hit by nostalgia the instant i read your post title. As a kid,I remember buying it from a roadside vendor who used to roast peanuts in shells in a large wok full of hot sand stirring it using a large flat spoon and the sieve all the sand. The hot peanuts were fun to eat in the chilly winter days.
Oh yes I remember that movie! I really liked it as we are always travelling and could relate somewhat to it! 😛
This is really interesting Evelyne, I had no idea the need of brine the peanuts in order to get them salty…thanks for the post.
Hope you are having a fabulous week 🙂
Of course you roasted your own peanuts! I wouldn’t expect anything less of you. What a fun idea!
MMM> This is a real treat.
How creative is that!!! I love how your mind works!!
I love that movie! Simple and great recipe…thanks for sharing!
I have seen the movie and it was very touching. I love peanuts and I had no idea about the technique. Must have tasted great!
Cool that you did these roasted peanuts! They are one of my childhood favourites. My mom sometimes boiled them in salted water, then dried them under the sun and we ate lots of them as the afternoon snack.