Red Beans and Rice
Red beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine traditionally made on Mondays with red beans, vegetables (bell pepper, onion and celery), spices (thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf) and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice. Many New Orleans neighborhood restaurants continue to offer it as a Monday lunch special, usually with a side order of either smoked sausage or a pork chop. Emeril Lagasse says this about Red Beans and Rice:
"Monday wouldn't be Monday in Louisiana without red beans and rice. Legend has it that since Monday was traditionally wash day, an all-day affair before electric washers and dryers, a pot of red beans spent the morning simmering on the back of the stove. If there was a ham bone left over from Sunday's dinner, it was thrown into the pot of beans. The marrow from the cracked bone and a good amount of herbs and spices made the beans tasty; long cooking made them tender and creamy. When the laundry was done, so were the beans. Red beans ladled over fresh steamed rice with a pile of French bread for sopping up every last drop, this is the dish and the day of the week that trans-planted Louisianans miss most..."
Red Beans and Rice is cooked with kidney or small red beans and almost always includes either smoked or pickled pork of some kind or another: a hambone is the most common, but it's also traditional to use ham steak, smoked sausage, pickled pork, ham hocks, or any combination. Some people will cook the smoked sausage with the beans, but traditionally, the sausage, or pork chops, were cooked on the side.
They are seasoned with the Cajun Trinity (celery, bell pepper, and onion) and a bay leaf, as well as salt and Creole spices: red and black pepper, and perhaps some thyme or parsley. The vegetables should be diced finely so that they will melt away once the dish is done. I have also seen a few recipes that call for a secret ingredient, a couple of tablespoons of butter, while cooking the beans. Perhaps to add to their creaminess.
The rice is cooked so as to be light and flaky, without the grains sticking together. See Creole-Style Boiled Rice. It's usually served on the side on the same plate, leaving it to the eater to do the mixing. Sometimes beans are served directly over the rice, as well. Chopped green onion is an optional garnish, and a bottle of hot sauce should always be available.
Also see Red Beans and Rice (with Pickled Pork)
Louisiana Red Beans & Rice
from https://southerndiscourse.com/
FMM: This recipe turned out well and the amount of Creole Seasoning was perfect, a little spicy but when eaten with the rice, fairly mild. Be careful you do not overcook the beans [I made red beans and rice before and the beans turned to mush and had no flavor.]. I think this could be made with canned beans. I would add the liquid from the can to the soup which will help to thicken the sauce (just be careful you do not add a lot more salt); the sauce should be somewhat creamy from the beans. The long simmering would not be needed then, and the recipe could be made more quickly.
3 slices thick bacon
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 teaspoons minced garlic (or 3 cloves garlic)
8 ounces cubed ham [you only need enough for flavor]
12-16 ounces andouille sausage, sliced into medallions (or beef smoked sausage) [or kielbasa]
2 tablespoons all purpose Creole Seasoning
4 cups chicken stock or broth
4 cups water
3 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
16 ounces small dried red beans [soaked overnight and drained, or 6 cups cooked beans, a 15 ounce can contains 1.5 cups]
4 cups [cooked] instant long grain white rice [recipe for Creole-Style Boiled Rice]
Chopped green onions, to pass for garnish
Bottle of hot sauce such as Crystal or Frank's, for serving
Cook chopped bacon in dutch oven. Remove when done and drain on a paper towel. [I would add the sausage now and brown it a bit. Once brown, remove and place in the bowl with the bacon.] Add diced bell pepper, onion and celery to hot bacon drippings and saute. When vegetables are tender, add minced garlic. Cook until vegetables are almost translucent.
Add cubed ham, sliced sausage and creole seasoning to the vegetables. Saute for another 3-5 minutes.
Stir in chicken broth, using the broth and steam to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Stir in red beans, water, chopped bacon and bay leaves and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat immediately and simmer for 2 hours. Stir occasionally to make sure beans aren't sticking. Add more boiling water if needed.
After 2 hours, remove about 1 cup of beans from pot. Mash and stir back into pot to make a thick and creamy sauce. Let simmer for another 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally as beans continue to thicken.
Serve over white rice.
Check the beans for salt and pepper. Serve over cooked white rice (or see recipe for Creole-Style Boiled Rice) with chopped chives or parsley for garnish or refrigerate overnight and reheat. Provide a bottle of hot sauce on the side for those who would like to add it to the beans. A nice side is Cheddar Jalapeno Cornbread Muffins.
Red Beans & Rice are ideal for making ahead of time. A night in the fridge will make those rich savory flavors even deeper! To reheat, place beans on the stove over a low heat. Stir in ½ to 1 cup water. Then stir occasionally while heating to keep the beans from sticking.
8 servings
