Blogging from A to Z: R is for Red Beans & Rice

Red beans and rice is a staple Creole dish.  It’s most often served on Mondays, as historically it was a way to use up the hock from Sunday’s ham.  The best I’ve ever had were served in the restaurant at Oak Alley Plantation; I quite literally scraped my plate to get every bit.

Here’s an easy recipe, from Southern Living magazine.
Ingredients;

• 1 pound smoked sausage, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 (15-ounce) cans red beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (16-ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 bay leaf
• Hot cooked rice

Photo by Infrogmation of New Orleans, used under Creative Commons 2.5 license

Directions:

 

1. Sauté first 4 ingredients in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add beans and next 7 ingredients.

2. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Serve over rice. To reheat, microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

    

If, like me, you don’t care for the texture of whole kidney beans, you can mash them up to the consistency of refried beans, or buy Blue Runner Cream Style Beans.

As always, there’s some music to go with the meal.  Here’s Bernard Purdie’s “Red Beans and Rice.”