posted on Feb, 23 2012 @ 03:33 PM
Red beans & rice...
To make them right you need to think ahead....so this doesn't help you for tonight.
1: Get a ham bone. You probably will have to order one in advance at a butcher or Honeybaked ham sells them.
2: Mail order some andouille. Good andouille simply isn't available in TX where I live.
3: The small red kidney beans are the ones to use. They'll get plenty creamy. Soak a 1lb bag overnight and drain before cooking.
Now on to cooking
Finely dice a medium onion, 2 celery stalks, and a small green bell pepper (I prefer to use 1/2 green and red) in 1/4c vegetable oil until tender. Add
5 or so cloves of chopped garlic and sautee a minute longer. Season with salt and pepper while cooking
Slice the andouille into 1/2 rings and add to the veggies. Sautee until the fat starts to render out.
Now add in the soaked and drained beans, ham bone, and enough water to cover by about an inch.
Bring to a simmer and add a couple of bay leaves, black pepper, a pinch of thyme, and a little cayenne. Go easy on the seasonings for now.
Simmer for a couple of hours and add water as needed.
When the beans start to get tender stop adding water and adjust the seasonings to your liking. The beans will get creamy as the water evaporates.
Serve with plain long grain rice. 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, 1 tsp salt, and 1Tbls butter. Bring to a simmer in a sauce pan, cover and turn the
heat down low and steam for 17 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 additional minutes. Remove lid and let sit for a couple of
additional minutes and then fluff with a fork.