Red Beans and Rice

Even though it is still very warm in the afternoons, the mornings are beginning to be cool. Football season has begun. School is in session. This means that fall is here. Red beans and rice is a perfect fall dish: warm, savory, filling, and delicious. Warm your body and your heart.


Servings: 6-8
Hardware: A cutting board and knives, measuring spoons and cups, a large soup pot with a lid, a wooden spoon, a potato masher
Time: Soak: 8-24 hours, prep: 20 minutes, cook 2-3 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag of red beans, soaked and drained
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3-4 pieces of cheap bacon
• ½ pound cooked ham
• ½ pound smoked sausage
• 1 large onion (1 cup)
• 1 small bell pepper (½ cup)
• 2 stalks of celery
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
• 2 ½ quarts chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning (I use Zatarain’s)
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper (to taste)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 bay leafs

3 cups of hot, cooked white rice
Diced green onions and hot sauce

1. Pick over the beans and place them in a large soup pot. Cover them in cold water, place a lid on the pot, and soak them for at least 8 hours or over night. Drain the beans and discard the soak water. Set the beans aside.
2. Wash the onion, celery, and garlic and dice them, the smaller the better. Remove the seeds and white ribs from the bell pepper. Dice it. Wash and chop the parsley.
3. Dice the ham into small pieces.
4. Cut the smoked sausage into 1 inch pieces then cut them in half length wise.
5. Heat the olive oil in the soup pot on medium high.
6. Chop the bacon. Add the chopped bacon to the soup pot to render the fat. Remove when the bacon gets crispy and save it for another dish.
7. Add the ham and the sausage to the fat in the soup pot and allow it to sear, stirring often for 2-4 minutes.
8. Add the onion, garlic, celery, green pepper, and parsley to the soup pot. Turn the heat down to medium.
9. Stir and allow the onions, etc to sweat for 4-5 minutes. The onions should be bubbling, but not browning. Stir occasionally.
10. Stir in the beans and the liquid and bring to a boil.
11. Stir in the Creole seasoning, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Add the bay leafs.
12. Turn the beans to low. Simmer the beans, uncovered, for 2-2 ½ hours or until they are tender. Stir occasionally. You may need to add more liquid while cooking.
13. When the beans are tender use the potato masher to mash up some of them. Stir them and continue to cook until they are creamy, about another ½ hour.
14. Remove the bay leafs.

Serve right away over rice, garnished with chopped green onions. Offer hot sauce to your guests.

Warms your tummy and your heart