Red Beans and Rice

I'm a man of the North, but I love Southern-cooking, and this easy dish is always a hit in my house, despite its low-cost ingredients.

It never ceases to amaze me how people can figure out ways to make delicious food from basic ingredients, and does it get any more basic than a pack of sausages, a can of beans and some rice?

It doesn’t look like much, but this flavorful dish built from staple ingredients is guaranteed to please everyone at the table!

Red beans and rice, as far as I can tell, originated in Louisiana’s Creole culture, which is a fantastic fusion of European, West African and Native American people and their respective traditions. There are many ways to make it, and many interpretations - so by all means explore the internet for alternatives - but here is how I make it:

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil*

• 1 lb sausage**

• 1 large onion (diced)

• 3 cloves of garlic (diced)

• 1 sweet pepper (diced)

• 2 stalks of celery (diced)

• 2 tbsp Cajun spice***

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 can of Kidney beans****

  *Instead of vegetable oil, you can use leftover bacon grease, or dice and fry 2 - 4 strips of bacon to release the fat & use that for frying the sausage.

  **Traditionally the type of sausage used for this dish is “Andouille smoked sausage” - but I can’t find this anywhere, so I just use Italian sausage. Suffice it to say, the ideal sausage is spicy and smoky and made from pork. I’ve sure that chorizo or kielbasa would be fine too.

  ***If you don’t have Cajun spice on hand, just use 3 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp black/white pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme, and 1 tsp dried oregano - or some permutation thereof, depending on what you have at hand.

  ****Use two cans if you need to “stretch the meal out”. It will still taste great and make everyone happy! Also, you can use other types of beans - for instance, I use black beans all the time.

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet to slightly higher than medium heat, and add the oil.

2. Cut the sausages in half and fry them in the pan until they are browned*.

3. Take the sausages out of the pan, set them aside and add the onions and garlic.

4. Once the onions start to brown, add the peppers, celery, salt and spices.

5. While the peppers and celery are cooking (toss occasionally), cut up the sausages into small slices (approx. 3/8” / 1cm thick). Also Remove the beans from the can, rinse and drain, then put them in a bowl and mash them up - either with a potato masher or just by squeezing and smooshing them with your bare hands.

6. Add the cut sausages and smooshed beans, and add enough water to almost cover everything. Bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally, then cover with a properly-fitting-lid and let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes - stirring occasionally. Adjust the heat to a lower setting or add more water if it seems to be sticking.

7. While the red beans and sausage are simmering, place 2 cups of rice in a pot with 4 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt. Bring it to a rapid boil, stir, then reduce to one quarter heat. Once the boiling has clamed down, place a tight-fitting lid on the pot, and let it simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.**

   *Use an imperfectly fitting lid to cover the sausages while frying. It will prevent splatter and hold some of the heat in, while allowing steam to escape, so your sausages get fried, not steamed. Use this same technique to speed up the browning of the onions.

   ** You might have to play with the heat setting for this stage - too much and it boils over; too little and the rice will not cook properly. In my experience, it helps to use the same burner every time for making rice, because every burner on my stove seems to behave differently. For a fun twist, add a teaspoon of turmeric to the rice (at the beginning) to make it bright yellow and give it an exotic flavor. I don’t know why - but people love yellow rice!

Serving and accompaniment options

Red beans and rice are served side by side for a nice contrast on the plate. I usually serve cooked greens with this dish - whether that is kale, spinach, or collard greens. In early summer I might use snap peas, and in late summer I might use green beans - but there is always a cooked green on the plate. Corn of the cob goes great with this dish - or just frozen corn that has been sautéed with a little butter, salt and pepper. Coleslaw is another great thing to add. I love the contrast of red, white, yellow and green that this dish inspires.

Why this works

The great thing about this dish (aside from its low-cost), is that the basic ingredients (sausage/beans/rice) are familiar to most people - but the flavor is exotic due to the spices and cooking technique - so most people will try it, and will be pleased with the new sensation of this fine example of creole cuisine. Also, while this dish is an easy weekday meal that can be thrown together after work in about half an hour - I find that it goes so well with so many side-dishes, and these provide such a wonderfully appetizing contrast of colors, that I am happy to serve this meal for any guest on any occasion. With that having been said, I do tend to serve it more in the summer months, when I can at least pretend that I’m somewhere further South, enjoying the heat, music and culture.

FREE SHIPPING FROM VESEYS SEEDS

Use my coupon code “GAVS23” to get free shipping from Veseys Seeds. At least one pack of seeds must be included in the order. Free shipping is not applicable on surcharges on larger items. Promo code is valid until November 30, 2023.

GET 10% OFF AT THE HUDSON VALLEY SEED COMPANY!

If you live in the USA, use my coupon code “maritime10” to get a 10% DISCOUNT on any order from the Hudson Valley Seed Company. In addition (see details), all seed orders over $35 will get free shipping!

I HAVE ANOTHER PARTNER IN THE USA - PARK SEED!

Park Seed has been providing seeds to American gardeners for over 150 years. They have a wide selection for just about everything you need for gardening. Click this link to shop on their website, and that will help support everything I’m doing.

Here’s a video where I make red beans and rice: