In Zimbabwe, people are getting ready for zhizha, which is the rainy season part of summer. It is by far my favourite season because it is during his season when my favourite fruits, wild and grown are in abundance and the rain means more access to fresh food that I love. It starts now up until March-April. My favourites include mazhanje, mangoes, green mealies(corn on the cob), peanuts, bambara nuts, pumpkin and ipwa(looks like the stalk on the corn plant). I love to eat this food and I miss all the smells associated with them. I really miss home these days so decided to make roasted peanuts.
In Zimbabwe we make roasted peanuts in shells when they are still fresh, so you just dig up a peanut plant and roast the peanuts. To make the peanuts last throughout the year, we put them in the freezer and that way you can have fresh peanuts throughout the year. The peanuts are roasted in a dry pan and more traditionally in a broken clay pot called rwenga. I will look for a picture to show you what the clay pot looks like. Sometime people use the lid of a metal drum. It really does not matter though because you roast the peanuts in their shells.I do not like a lot of salt in my food, I put just enough to get the taste of food so this snack is perfect for me because it is just peanuts.
Here in Bermuda, almost all the food is imported so you hardly ever get fresh food and if you do it is so expensive. Needless to say you can never find fresh peanuts but you can always find dry peanuts. I do suspect though that these peanuts have been in the shops a while. I soaked the peanuts in some water over night to rehydrate them, a near impossible thing to do as peanuts float in water when they are in shells.
When ready to roast them, preheat oven to 350F. Drain the water from the peanuts and place on a baking tray.
Roast for 30 to 40 minutes and enjoy your peanuts!
