Rice and Beans Recipe
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Ingredients
- 1½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ lbs smoked sausage cut in ⅓ inch slices
- 1 lb dry red kidney beans
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped
- Salt and black pepper - to taste
- Cajun seasoning such as Louisiana or Tone's, to taste
- Hot sauce such as Tabasco, to taste
- 1 beer optional
- 7 - 8 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- Hot cooked white rice
Instructions
- Soak kidney beans in cold water overnight. Water should be at least 2 inches over the beans.
- Heat a large Dutch oven until hot. Pour in the oil and heat until it shimmers. Brown the smoked sausage and set aside.
- Add a little more oil to the bottom of the pan, if necessary, and over medium heat sweat onion, celery and green pepper until onions are translucent.
- Add the bay leaf and a heavy pinch of salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Cook until onions start to color.
- Add the optional beer or about one cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Stir and cook to scrape off any bits stuck to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Add enough stock to cover the beans by about 1 ½ inches.
- Add several shakes of hot sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about an hour. Add more liquid and turn down the heat if the liquid is reducing too quickly.
- Taste, and adjust seasonings. Return the smoked sausage to the beans and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until the beans are soft
- Mash some of the beans against the side of the pot to break them up and thicken the mixture.
- Taste again, and add more seasonings or hot sauce, as needed. Remove bay leaves.
- Serve over hot cooked rice. White is traditional, but brown rice adds a little more interest and fiber.