Friday, February 13, 2009

red beans

Thinking about Monday's lunch already?

A suggestion-
To make red beans (as in "red beans and rice"), first soak, then cook until just tender 1 to 1.5 lbs of small red beans-



After the beans are done, and they can be cooked ahead, saute a few strips of bacon until crisp (this photo isn't really what I consider a "few" strips, but this was a large batch of red beans)



To the bacon grease, you'll add the following:

Two heads of garlic, pods peeled and minced



about a cup to a cup and a half of onion, chopped



saute until onion turns clear, then add about a half cup to a cup of chopped celery (including leaves), a cup of or so of chopped bell pepper, and the same amount of scallion tops (the green parts, add the white parts with the regular onion)



Also add a couple of tablespoons of black pepper and, depending upon taste, a teaspoon or more of cayenne or red pepper flakes.



After all the vegetables soften, add the red beans



and a half a cup or so of chopped parsley. I usually return the crumbled bacon to the pot as well. Salt a bit, cover the pot or skillet halfway, then simmer until the beans become creamy.



Once they're creamy, taste for salt, the serve over rice.



If you want a bit more substance with your red beans, you can always slice up some andouille and simmer it after you add the beans to the vegetables.

8 comments:

PBurns said...

It's 12:04, my stomach is rioting, I check the Google Reader and find this post.

You are cruel. Mean.

Pictures too.

And I swear, if I scratch the monitor I can smell the bacon!!

Patrick

Albert A Rasch said...

Hello there!

Thanks for stopping by at The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles. much obliged for the comment.

I've already slapped you on my follow list, and the next "Blogs of Note" I do will include your blog. Anybody that gives me a pictorial of a paella, is good in my book.

I'm hoping to try the bread recipe tomorrow morning.

Regards,
Albert A Rasch
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
Proud Member of Outdoor Bloggers Summit
Southeast Regional OBS Coordinator

mdmnm said...

Patrick,

Thanks!

Albert,

Thanks, too. I'm curious to hear how the bread turns out in your very different climate.

Reid Farmer said...

Slap some andouille in there for me! I've been addicted to RB&R since I was a freshman at Tulane. Speaking of comfort food, I have a big crock-pot of posole simmering in the kitchen right now

Borepatch said...

Wow.

But I have teenage boys, so I'll need a bigger pot ...

;-)

mdmnm said...

Reid,

This recipe comes from our next door neighbor back when my family lived in NO. This is the right time of year for a pot of posole warming up the house!

Ted,

Red beans are surprisingly filing. Probably just the thing for a house full of teenagers. You might still want to double all quantities, just in case.

Langdon Cook said...

Thinking about lunch on Monday? I'm thinking about it for Tues, Weds, Thurs, and Friday too! This is just the sort of pot o' beans I like to whump up for the whole week. And Andouille for sure. Thanks for the step-by-step instructions.

Cheers,
Lang

mdmnm said...

Finspot-

You're welcome!