Peanut pie a great showpiece for the tasty legume

I grew up near the heart of peanut country in southeastern Virginia, so I was baptized early in peanut pride. The state is famous for its jumbo nuts, and for good reason: They're plump, meaty and taste like no other.

Peanuts, which actually are legumes and not tree nuts, are thought to be native to Peru. Explorers and traders carried them across the Atlantic to Africa, and the slave trade brought them back again to North America. The African word "nguba" became "goober" in the United States.

Peanuts had a rather lowly reputation up until the Civil War. They were a high- protein staple for soldiers on both sides, and appreciation of them started to grow. By the late 1800s, hot-roasted peanuts were being hawked at circuses and baseball games.

Demand boosted supply, but George Washington Carver's research at Tuskegee Institute beginning in 1903 really provided the breakthrough for peanut production. Carver discovered more than 300 uses for the peanut, which was a good thing for Southern farmers, who needed new crops to replace the ruinous "King Cotton."

Today, U.S. peanut farming still is concentrated in the South. Nine states grow almost all of the crop, with Georgia leading the pack. The others are Virginia, the Carolinas, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.

The Virginia peanut is the largest of the four main varieties grown in this country.

Kathy Spencer asked for a recipe for a crunchy peanut butter pie that is similar to pecan pie. Sharon Cook of Summerville clued me in to what she thinks Kathy is looking for: Virginia Diner Peanut Pie.

The Virginia Diner is in Wakefield, Va., about halfway between Petersburg and Suffolk on U.S. Route 460. The restaurant dates to 1929 and was started in an old rail car. The business has since expanded to include mail-order peanuts, confections, snacks and other specialty foods (www.vadiner.com).

These two recipes come close to the Virginia Diner's pie.

One calls for light corn syrup, like the diner's version, and the other dark. There are a few other differences, as well.

Peanut Pie

Makes 8 servings

2 eggs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 pound salted roasted Virginia peanuts

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, beat eggs. Add butter, sugar, syrup and flour. Stir in peanuts until well-mixed. Pour into pastry crust. Bake in preheated oven until knife inserted in center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. (Filling will swell, brown and then settle.) Cool completely before slicing.

Peanut Pie

Makes 8 servings

3 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups dark corn syrup

1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped roasted peanuts

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs until foamy. On medium speed, add sugar, syrup, butter, salt and vanilla; continue to beat until thoroughly blended, about 2 minutes. Stir in peanuts. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake on center rack of oven for 45 to 50 minutes until top is lightly browned and center is almost set. Serve warm or cold, garnished with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.

Speaking of nuts, a Mount Pleasant caller requested a recipe for a vegetarian chili that uses cashews as garnish.

Judy Ford, also of Mount Pleasant, says she has made vegetarian chili several times for events at the Unitarian Church in Charleston. She writes, "Although any veggie chili could be garnished with cashews, I think my recipe is the one your reader is looking for."

Unitarian Vegetarian Chili

Makes about 12 cups

1 to 2 cups each chopped celery, onion and sweet green pepper

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, undrained

3 (15- to 16-ounce) cans rinsed and drained beans (mix or match black, kidney, Northern, garbanzo or pinto beans)

A big handful of raisins

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

3 to 4 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons each dried basil, dried oregano and ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 can beer

1 cup of your favorite shredded cheese

Cashew nuts

Cook celery, onion, green pepper and garlic in olive oil in a large, covered pot over medium heat for about 10 minutes until tender, but not browned. Stir occasionally.

Add tomatoes, beans, raisins, vinegar and all the seasonings to the pot through the Tabasco sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. Add beer and return to boil. Simmer uncovered until you have the consistency you like. Remove bay leaf. Sprinkle each serving with some cheese and cashews.

Sharon Cook shares another variation she found at epicur ious.com. She's made it and says it's delicious!

Vegetarian Cashew Chili

Yield: 7 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cups chopped onion

2 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper

1 1/2 cups chopped celery

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon molasses

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

2 (15.5-ounce) cans red kidney beans, undrained

1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, undrained

2/3 cup cashews, coarsely chopped

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and saute until tender. Combine vinegar with next eight ingredients (vinegar through bay leaf). Add vinegar mixture to the sauteed vegetables with the kidney beans, tomatoes and pinto beans. Cook 20 minutes, stirring often. Discard bay leaf. Stir in cashews.

Looking for a recipe or have one to share? Reach Teresa Taylor at 937-4886, food@postandcourier.com or write The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403. Give a day phone number.