Easy Red Beans and Rice

[Mayhaw Man]

Easy Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice, at least made in this way, is an old New Orleans tradition. They are typically served on Monday's here, as that is when women used to do the week's washing and beans were something that could be cooked, relatively unattended, while the scrubbing, the hanging, the ironing, and the folding was taking place.

Here in New Orleans these are almost always made with Camellian Brand Red Kidney Beans, but any good quality dried red bean will work (you can also sub white beans in this, up the cumin, add some chile powder, and sub the sausage for an equal amount of grilled chicken, and you will have White Chile, as it is called here).

• 2 lb Dried Red Kidney Beans
  
• 3 T Olive oil
  
• 3 medium yellow onions
  
• 2 green bell peppers
  
• 3 stalks celery
  
• 3 jalapeno peppers (seeded)
  
• 3 T salt to taste (more than you think)
  
• 2 T Black pepper
  
• 2 tsp Cayenne pepper
  
• 1 tsp Cumin
  
• 2 tsp Rosemary
  
• 2 tsp oregano
  
• 3 Bay Leaf
  
• 2 lb smoked sausage
  

Put first 13 ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed pot, cover with 2 times their volume in water (enough to keep them from surfacing as the beans soak up the water) and let soak overnight

Bring pot with first 13 ingredients to a boil. Turn pot down to a low, low simmer, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching. Keep an eye on liquid level, as these are SUPPOSED to be a little soupy, not thick like goo.

Simmer for approximately 6 hours until tender (your house will smell great)

Add browned sausage about an hour before end of cooking time.

Adjust seasonings to taste

Serve over medium or long grain rice.

Eat until sated.

Keywords: Main Dish, Easy, American, Pork

( RG1937 )