New Orleans Red Beans And Rice
Ingredients
- 1 lb (454 g) dried red kidney beans
- 2 Tbsp (29 g) bacon drippings or butter
- ½ lb (227 g) andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch-thick (25-mm) slices
- ½ lb (227 g) smoked beef sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick (12-mm) slices
- 2 med yellow onions, diced
- 2 Tbsp (19 g) garlic clove, crushed
- 1 Tbsp (7 g) Creole seasoning
- 1 tsp (2.5 g) pepper
- Pinch red pepper
- 2 C (473 ml) low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock
- 6 C (1420 ml) water
- 1 ham shank
- 6 oz (170 g) tasso ham
- 1 Tbsp (2.5 g) thyme leaves, or 1 tsp (0.9 g) dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sm yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 med green bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 stalk celery, finely diced
- 3 C (483 g) cooked white rice, hot
Garnish
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- Crystal Hot Sauce to taste
Directions
Rinse and sort beans. Place in a large bowl, cover with water to 2 inches above level of beans; let soak overnight. The next day, cook bacon drippings and sausages in a stockpot over medium heat until lightly browned. Add onions, garlic, Creole seasoning, and black and red pepper; stir to combine. Cook until onions are translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add chicken broth, water, ham shank, tasso, thyme and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Drain soaked beans; add to stockpot. Boil 5 minutes, reduce heat to low; simmer 2-3 hours or until soft. Remove ½ C (120 g) of beans from pot and mash into a purée; return to pot, stirring to combine. Remove ham shank, shred meat, discard bone and return meat to stockpot. Remove and shred tasso; reserve; discard bay leaves. Stir remaining onions, pepper and celery into rice.
Garnish
Serve about 1 C (240 g) beans with ¼ C (40 g) rice, garnishing with shredded tasso and green onions; offer hot sauce to taste.
- Prep time: 15 minutes.
- Cook time: 3 hours.
- Makes 10 servings.