Howdy!! Yesterday I made some Red Beans and Rice which turned out great. Thanks Sam!
The recipe is similar to the Jambalaya with the biggest difference being that the rice is cooked separately. That turned out to be helpful for me because the broth gets a tad spicy...i'm a wimp!
First you soak the beans overnight then rinse and sort the next day. I found that if you are in a time crunch a can of kidney beans works well too. To start, cook the bacon fat on medium heat and add in the onion, celery, bell pepper and cayenne pepper. Sprinkle the salt and pepper as well.
After the veggies are browning/golden add in the bay leaves, salt pork, ham and sausage.
Let the meat cook until pieces are beginning to brown and tender, then add in the beans. Stir and add in water so veggies and meat are submerged, about 1 inch.
Let cook, stirring intermittently for about an hour. The book says to cook for 2 hours but it really didn't need that long. Add more water if it become too dry/thick.
*I added some black beans to make the dish more complex and yummy...plus who doesn't like black beans?!
Next, take a wooden spoon and mash half of the dish to one side of the pot and continue stirring until the mixture is creamy and beans are soft. About 35-40 mins. The dish should begin to thicken into more of a soup (not watery)...completely enveloping each piece with flavor.
Remove the bay leaves and serve with rice and garnish with green onion and parsley.
Voila! Dinner for the next few days!!
I am so happy with how this turned out. It was nice to make something so hardy and flavorful. The beans and veggies were delicious with the rice. Great combo!
I knew I did good when I caught Craig eating some out of the fridge (left-over container). He gave it a "Sublime"!
Thanks, Bunny
