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New Orleans Red Beans and Rice by Melanie Foster serves: 6	No ratings Rating Details Rate this recipe Printable View Print Index Cards

The quintessential Monday meal. Southern moms would put this on monday morning and let it cook all day as monday was laundry day and huge chore "way back when..." Read more about me and my cooking philospohy at mjcooks.com

Ingredients:

2 cups

small red beans (1 lb), Camilla brand if you get them

1 cup

ham, diced (optional, or a ham hock)

1 lb

kielbasa, andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced

garlic cloves, minced

large onion, minced

green pepper, minced

1 cup

celery, diced

bay leaves

1 Tbsp

Tabasco sauce

3/4 tsp

powdered cloves

1 Tbsp

dried parsley

1 tsp

salt and pepper, more to taste

Directions:

Soaking the beans (you don't have to soak them at all, you'll get better color in your final dish if you don't):

Slow Method--Put beans in a large pot; cover by at least 2 inches with water. Soak overnight.

Quick Method--Cover beans in a pot with at least 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Boil hard for 10 minutes, then let stand off the heat, covered for 1 hour. Drain and return to pot with the rest of the ingredients, except the salt. Pour in enough water to cover everything well and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered or not 4-5 hours until beans are tender, stirring occasionally. At this point you can mash the beans with a potato masher a few times for a creamier consistency. You may have to add water at some point if it’s getting too thick. This should not be soupy however. It should be the consistency of chili. Add the salt after the beans are tender and it's the right consistency. Serve over hot rice.

This would not be the same without fresh sliced French bread spread with butter and yellow mustard served alongside.

Slow Cooker Option: Soak the beans or not. Add everthing to the slow-cooker, except salt and sausage. Add water just to the level of the beans, cover and cook on low 6 hours or so. Check for tenderness. Add more water if needed. Once tender, add the sliced sausasge and cook 30 minutes more or until heated through.

Categories:

Main Dishes
Smart Budget Foods