jack's red beans and rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried small red beans, rinsed and sorted over (don't use kidney beans...they're lame)
- a hearty splash of olive oil
- 1 chopped bell pepper
- 2 quarts water
- 6 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow or white onions
- 3/4 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (maybe a little more) + freshly ground black pepper
- 1 chopped chipotle in adobo, or red pepper flakes, tabasco, habanero sauce, etc.
- 2 or 3 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons crushed fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
- 1/2 pound or more smoked sausage, sliced into 1/3" thick rounds
- cooked white rice (say 3-5 cups)
- chopped green onions for garnishing
- Sort the beans, cover them in a pot with water 3" over the beans. Soak all day or overnight. Drain and set aside. Or do a quick soak if you're in a hurry or a bad planner..
- In a large (preferably cast iron dutch oven) pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add ham hocks and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the onions, celery and peppers, salt pepper, chipotle, and cook until the vegetables are soft (3 min).
- Add the sausage, bay leaves, thyme, and cook, stirring, to brown the sausage and ham hocks.
- Add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute (don't brown it...sweat it).
- Add the beans and water, stir, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring every few minutes, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken (1 1/2 to 2 hours). Add water if necessary.
- Mash about 1/2 a cup of beans in the pot with the back of a wooden spoon. Check for seasoning.
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onions (no cheese or sour cream...it's great straight!).
- Put out Tabasco and other hot sauces, maybe some chopped jalapenos, and plenty of beer.
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