We are originally from Mobile, Alabama in the deep southern part of the United States. An hour and one half outside of New Orleans, Louisiana driving by car and one hour from the Florida panhandle. Our roots run deep through several cultures that settled the area. Originally, Native Americans lived here, then the French settled in the 1600's, the Spanish came through, other European settlers brought their traditions, and a strong African American culture is found bringing their wonderful culinary traditions to the area. This blend of cultures contributes to our culinary palate. Southern cooking has long been known as fried and fattening (aka most of what Paula Deen cooks). And while that may be true, in the South it is a sin to waste food and so wonderful dishes were created to use food that may otherwise have been thrown out (i.e., do you know what makes up sausage?). Southerners always have room for one more at the dinner table. And if someone is down and out, a good meal and good company can be found in a Southern home. After Hurricane Fredrick hit our area in 1979, a lot of people were down and out. And during this time, Ron's parents' small four bedroom home had five families living in it. But this isn't unusual for the South, it's been this way for centuries. Meals had to be stretched and so came gumbos and other filling rice dishes that were relatively inexpensive to make. As a result, good Southern food is flavored through and through with lots of seasonings, spices, meats and vegetables from foods that were grown on the land they lived on.
Today, we buy most of our food from the stores but we still cook from our roots. And now without further ado, our salute to our Southern roots with our recreation of "Red Beans and Rice with Sausage." I say recreation because we now live in the Pacific Northwest - Seattle, Washington. We cannot get all the meats we would normally use to make this dish. But it turned out delicious and I think you'll be able to easily recreate the dish with ingredients from your local market.
Print-Friendly Recipe:
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
All ingredients should be easy to find in your local market.
*Read through the recipe as this is not a quick cooking recipe and there are tips throughout. It is very easy though and you don't have to tend to it alot. Also, review the spices, if you don't like heat or salt, change it up. Red beans and rice are always better the next day when the flavors can meld together.
Ingredients:
1 pound small red beans (or kidney beans), dry - soaked OVERNIGHT
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped (Trust me, for this large pot, this is not as much as it seems, but if you don't like garlic, omit).
1 pound smoked beef sausage, sliced on the bias
1 pound smoked pork sausage, sliced on the bias (I had little smokies on hand, which I did not slice)
4 fresh sprigs of Thyme (or use 1 to 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
3 Bay Leaves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon Creole Seasoning Blend (I used Tony Chachere's brand)
1/8 cup hot sauce
1/8 cup Worcestershire Sauce
Water to soak the beans in and fresh water to cook the beans.
Long-grain rice, cooked
Crackers or bread
Instructions:
Soak 1 pound dry beans in 2 quarts water overnight. Make sure the beans are fully covered by the water, this will keep them soft and prevent discoloration. Remove any floaters. The next day, rinse and drain the beans. I change the water in the morning and let the beans continue soaking until I am ready to cook them. Changing the water helps you digest the beans better and reduces the chances of embarrassing flatulent attacks.
When you are ready to cook your beans, rinse and drain them. In a large stockpot add the beans and cover with 6 cups of water, or as much as will fully cover the beans. Bring the beans to a boil and cook for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, until the beans are tender, but not falling apart. Make sure the beans remain covered with water during the boiling process. Also, this is not a full rolling boil, just a low boil. Drain the beans. Return to stockpot and set aside (do not return to heat at this time).
About fifteen minutes before your beans are tender, saute the Trinity (bell pepper, celery, and onions) in olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, sauteing for two more minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the stockpot with your beans, add the Trinity with all the flavors in the skillet. Add the sausage, seasonings, and water just to cover the mixture. (I usually pour a cup of water in the skillet and scrape all the bits, then pour that over my beans. You definitely want all those flavors.)
Bring the pot to a boil and reduce heat to a low simmer (3 on my dial). Cook for 2 to 3 hours. Taste as you go along and add seasonings as necessary. (Mine was fine with the ingredients above, but you might like yours seasoned differently). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and burning. You may have to turn your heat down if it feels like it is burning. Your mixture should take on a creamy consistency.
After a couple of hours, taste the beans and when they are done to your liking, turn off heat. Let the beans rest for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, cook a pot of long-grain rice without any seasonings - just plain rice in water (i.e., no chicken broth, butter, or anything else in the rice).
Serve your beans over rice and eat with crackers or bread.
Menu Twenty-Nine for 2006:
Red Beans and Rice with Sausage
1 new modified recipes today
23 new recipes for 2006
This recipe participated in the ARF/5-A-Day Veggie at SweetNicks.
Blog | Food | Food Blog | Food Blogs | Cooking | Homemade | Sausage | Red Beans | Rice | Vegetable | Vegetables | American South | Southern | |
