Song of the South?

Most of what I cook is influenced by foreign cuisines. Simple, easy, tasty, but not things that I ate as a child. I didn't eat tofu or fresh basil or balsamic vinegar or goat cheese or fresh cherries until I was a grownup who did my own grocery shopping. I love all those foods passionately, and unless cherries are out of season or I ate all the chevre the night before, you will always find those foods in my kitchen.

But sometimes, you just need to eat what you were raised on. I didn't have all day to cook up dry pinto beans, and I don't eat bacon, so making a pot of beans like my mama's was pretty much out of the question. However, I will say that I put together a mean red beans and rice on some pretty short notice. Okay, so the rice wasn't the Minute Rice my mom served me as a kid. But it was some beautiful Texmati rice that I think is a couple steps up from instant.

To make sure everything is ready about the same time, start cooking off the veggies for the beans, then put the rice on, and then put your cornbread muffins in the oven.

Red Beans and Rice
For the beans:
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
- half an onion, finely chopped
- half a red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 rib of celery, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
- half a cup chopped tomatoes (canned are fine)
- one quarter teaspoon of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
- a few drops (like 3 or 4) Liquid Smoke
- sprinkling of Lousiana Crystal or Frank's Red Hot sauce
- 1 can pinto beans or red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- enough water or veggie stock to barely cover all this other stuff

Saute onion, pepper, carrot, and celery over medium heat until the onions begin to soften and turn translucent. Then add the garlic, tomatoes, and herbs and cook for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Dump in the beans, Worcestershire, liquid smoke, hot sauce, and barely cover with water or stock. (This is the time to put the rice on!) When I say "barely cover," I mean a few little bean tops may be breaking the surface here and there. Don't add too much liquid or you'll have bean soup instead of saucy beans!

Now turn the heat to medium-low, cover the beans, and simmer them until your rice is ready, or about 25-30 minutes. Check the consistency. If the bean juice is too soupy and not thick enough for your liking, take out a few spoonfuls of beans and veggies and squish them up. Return them to the pot and they'll thicken everything up nicely. Before serving, season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

For the rice:
- 1 cup Texmati rice, rinsed until the water runs clear and drained well
- 1.25 cups water or veggie stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed slightly
- pinch salt
- coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- however much butter your conscience will allow

Put everything together in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Bring to a boil, stir once, cover, and lower the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to stand, still covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork, add butter, and serve. This rice is really fantastic as a side dish to just about everything. Often I'll eat it for dinner with a big salad and a couple of boiled eggs.

Oh, and did I mention this is a three-fer? Or a four-fer if you count the cornbread muffins you'll be making from your favorite mix! On to dessert, my darlings! This crumble serves 2 generously. If you have more fruit to use up, multiply the other ingredients accordingly. One more hint: since there's very little sugar in this, it could be on the tart side. If you like sweeter desserts, please up the sugar to your taste.


Cherry Nectarine Crumble
- 2 slightly overripe nectarines, pitted and sliced
- half a cup fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- pinch nutmeg
- one quarter cup unsweetened apple juice
- one quarter teaspoon of almond extract or half a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the topping:
- one quarter cup flour
- one quarter cup rolled oats
- one quarter cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts or pecans
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut
- pinch cinnamon and/or nutmeg
- pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons cold butter (I used Brummel & Brown, which is not butter, but worked nicely!)

Stir together all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut or pinch the butter into small lumps, and then use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is crumbly and no chunks of butter remain.

Toss the fruit with cornstarch, almond or vanilla extract and nutmeg and dump into a sprayed or oiled small baking pan. Pour over the apple juice. My pan is a 6 inch round Pyrex dish with 1.5 inch sides, and this crumble fit perfectly in it. Crumble the crumble topping evenly over the fruit, making sure to cover the entire surface evenly. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes or until the juices are bubbling around the edge of the dish and the topping is golden brown.

Serve with yogurt for breakfast, or with a scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt for dessert.