Southern Comfort Food

Fall has arrived in New England with colds, flue, rain. fog and warm sunny afternoons and crisp evenings.  It is time to pull out the large kettle and put the pinto beans on to cook low and slow.  Stir up some cornbread, rice and sausage to make the meal complete.

No Fuss Crowd Please Pinto Beans

Take large kettle and put 1-2 cups of dry sorted pinto beans.  Wash good to remove all dirt and  rocks.  Fill kettle 3/4 of the way with water.
Place on stove and set temperature around medium low. It takes about 6 - 8 hours to cook the beans right and not burn them.
Add to the kettle:
1 large chopped onion (what ever kind you have in the house will work)
6-8 garlic cloves peeled and sliced (more if you are afraid of vampires)
2-3 teaspoons of Italian seasoning ( any kind will work)
2-3 teaspoons of salt
Pepper to taste

Cover and cook until done.  Stir occasionally to make sure it does not stick on the bottom and burn.  Burnt beans taste terrible.



About 30 minutes before the meal start your rice.  Cook according to the directions.  This is very important to avoid sticky or undercooked rice. 

Make your cornbread muffins.  This can be done from scratch and take large amount of time or you can take a mix and jazz it up.  My preference is to do this. 

Mix the cornbread mix according to the instructions. Add sliced jalapenos (3-4 pickled, the more th better) and 1/2 cup of sharp shredded cheddar cheese. (sharp cheese has a flavor that can be tasted over the cornbread flavor) 

Place in muffin pan with liners.  Spray the bottom of your muffin liners with Pam to keep your muffin from sticking.  It is a sweet little trick to help you remove all your muffin without shredding it.


Take your sausage (your favorite kind, I don't like sausage but my husband adored it) and slice thinly and fry to crisp in a skillet.  

Time to assemble your bowl of COMFORT.  Rice goes in the bowl first.  Next come a scoop of bean (you can use the juice or drain it, I prefer to drain the beans).  Top with a huge glob of sour cream.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.   Your cornbread muffin may be crumbled on top or eaten on the side with butter (I prefer on the side with butter, since I hate soggy food).


Enjoy this simple meal.  I use the leftover beans to make refried beans or chili.

  



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