Red Beans and Rice

Well this weekend with the cool weather around and all of the football on TV, I decided it was time to tackle making a Cajun favorite from scratch! I don't have the patience to make a roux so that knocked out a gumbo and etoufee, so Red Beans and Rice it was!

I decided to try one of Emeril's receipes as he is a wonderful Cajun chef and I figured that was the best place to start.

So here goes...

1 lb Red Kidney Beans

Rinse and sort beans then place them in a large bowl. Cover the beans with water by 2 inches. Allow to soak 8 hours or overnight.

3 T Oil
1 ½ c Onion (diced)

¾ c Bell Pepper

¼ c Tasso or Ham (chopped) - I actually used some left over pork chop

½ t Salt
½ t Black Pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste

3 Bay Leaves
2 t Thyme
2 T Parsley

1 Ham Hock
½ lb Sausage
3 T Garlic

6 c Stock/Water - I used all Chicken broth

Preparation

In a large pot (I used a cast iron pot that is pretty deep) heat the oil on M – H heat. Add the ham/tasso and cook 1 minute. Add the onions, bell peppers and season them with the salt, black pepper and cayenne. Cook until the veggies are soft (about 4 minutes).
Add the bay, parsley, thyme, ham hock and sausage and allow to cook until the sausage has browned. Add the garlic and cook an additional minute.

Add the beans and the stock. Stir well and allow to bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to M – L and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the beans are soft and start to thicken (about 2 hours). If the mixture gets too thick, add ¼ c of liquid at a time.

Mash about ¼ of the beans with a spoon (I took out some and pureed them in a food processor) and then continue to cook 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay and then serve over rice!

Surprisingly for my first try and made from scratch red beans, I have to say I did pretty good. Keith really enjoyed it even wanted to take leftovers to work today!