In the American South, rice turns a collection of dishes into a meal. Michael Twitty is an African American Jewish writer, culinary historian, and educator.
The Grey executive pastry chef Tanya Matta talks move to Savannah GA savannahnow.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from savannahnow.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Red Rice
Makes 4–6 servings
This recipe for the Low Country classic was inspired by the erudite Damon Lee Fowler, culinary historian and cookbook author from Savannah and a keeper of old southern culinary traditions. This tomato pilau is one of the greatest dishes ever to emerge from the Low Country and can be adjusted depending on your tastes. This recipe was published in Fowler’s The Savannah Cookbook, published in 2008 by Gibbs Smith, and is included here by permission.
Ingredients
1 medium onion, trimmed, split lengthwise, peeled, and chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped 1 cup long-grain rice, washed and drained
20 years as food writer reaps many delicious rewards
Damon Lee Fowler
He took the words right out of my mouth.
When I came to Savannah four decades ago, a master’s degree in architecture in one hand and license to practice in the other, I would never in my wildest dreams have imagined that I’d spend fully half of that time as a food writer for the Savannah Morning News.
But nine cookbooks and over 500 columns later, here I am.
It began in 2000, with a call from then features editor Anne Guidera, asking on behalf of managing editor Dan Suwyn if I’d be interested in writing a regular cooking feature for the Morning News. I was on my fourth cookbook and had recipe-writing down cold, so I thought: how hard could it be?