Red Beans and Rice

My pal Chris has been experimenting with a Red Beans and Rice recipe that he found. He has had some early recipe setback and I am hoping to give him enough written instruction to get him over the recipe hump and in a position to enjoy a bowl of his own home cooked meal. Let’s Make a Red Beans and Rice dish that we once served at the Ashgrove Inn in Saratoga Springs NY.
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed
3 tbsp canola oil
1/4 cup chopped chopped ham
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (garnish for after the meal is plated)
2 tsp  dried thyme
1/2 pound smoked andouille sausage,  cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 pound smoked ham hocks
3 tbsp chopped garlic
10 cups chicken stock
4 cups cooked white rice
1/4 cup chopped green onions, garnish

Bean Preparation

Place the beans in a large bowl or pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Let soak for 24 hours. Drain and set aside. NOTE: If water falls below the level of the beans add more water.

Creating the Red beans and Rice

In your large stock pot add your soaked red beans, bay leaves, pepper, cayenne, thyme, ham hocks  and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer (covered) and cook for about 2 hours until the beans are nice and tender.

In a large skillet add canola oil and bring to a medium heat.

Add ham, onion, celery, green peppers, salt and garlic to the hot oil. Sweat the veggies until they are tender to the bite. Do not allow them to sautee in your skillet …if the skillet runs dry…add a ladle of chicken stock from the big kettle.

When veggies are done…. add them to the big stock pot of cooking beans.

Prepare your rice

Cook rice separately in water according to the package.  The cajuns use a long grain rice… I am a basmati man… you choose….

Finishing the dish

The now tender beans that are steeping in the veggies and stock need to thicken and become the beautiful dish you have been dreaming about. In order to get that cajun taste and look we need to mash about 1/4 of the beans in the pot using a potato masher and make a thicker stock with the starch from inside the beans. Go ahead and mash the beans either against the side of the pot or onto the bottom of the pot and stir that into your stock.

Add your Andouille sausage….. let the sausage simmer into the stock and taste your concoction.

Re-season the Red Beans stock with salt and pepper to taste and serve over your cooked rice, sprinkle on a little chopped parsley .

ENJOY…. or come with me on Wed….to JGumbos on Frankfort Ave in Louisville KY…. where I go for my Red Beans and Rice….