Beckerz Bites - Recipe: Red Beans & Rice

Me again…your favorite Realtor or as some people call me “The Food Dude” with this week's easy to make home recipe for Fun Food Friday. The days are getting longer but it is still cold out and this is a good recipe for those cold winter evenings. Teresa and I are big fans of Cajun and creole style cooking. We frequently make a nice pot of jambalaya or a gumbo, but I had never made red beans and rice from scratch until just recently. We have had the Zatarain's boxed Red Beans and Rice, as a side dish, which is actually pretty good. However, we made it from scratch as a meal not a side dish. It is not hard to make, but does take some time since any beans need to cook for a couple of hours to get tender . . . but this is worth the effort and worth the wait!

Shopping List:

1 ½ lbs. dried red beans
1 lb. andouille sausage sliced into ½ inch pieces (you can also use smoked sausage)
3-4 T olive oil
6 cloves garlic minced
2 med onions diced
2 large celery ribs diced
1 green bell pepper diced (I only had a red pepper so that is what I used)
1 ½ t black pepper
¼ t cayenne pepper
2 t salt
4-5 bay leaves
2 t dried basil
1 t rubbed sage
1 cup fresh parsley chopped (or ¼ cup dried)
Cooked long grain rice for serving

STEP 1: Pick through your beans for stones. I do not soak my beans overnight. Instead, I put them in a large pot and add water covering the beans by at least 1 inch. Then I bring it to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, remove it from the heat and let it sit for a few hours to start tendering them up.

STEP 2: In a separate large heavy pot, brown the sausage in 1 T olive oil until browned and slightly crisp - 5 minutes or so. Add the remaining oil, garlic and onions and cook until onions are transparent. Add celery and bell pepper and cook an additional 5 minutes.

STEP 3: Pour soaked beans and water into pot and bring to a simmer. Add black pepper, cayenne, salt, bay leaves, basil and sage. Cook until beans are softened (about 1½-2 hours) taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Once beans are softened and the flavor is where you like it remove a couple ladles of the beans into a separate bowl and use a fork to mash them up. Stir the mashed beans back into the pot to enhance the creamy texture of the dish. If the beans are too thick you can add water to bring it back to the consistency you desire. Remember if you add water you may have to re-season the dish.

STEP 4: Remove bay leaves and serve in a bowl over a nice scoop of cooked rice. We prefer ours rice on top as pictured. You can also garnish with some fresh sliced green onions. Enjoy!!