Red beans & rice, not authentic but good

After several attempts to make "authentic" Creole-style red beans and rice and not really liking the results I decided to experiment a bit more. Finally found something I liked -- the recipe is pretty standard but adding more peppers & seasonings made a big difference to me.

1 pound dried red kidney beans soaked for a few hours
1 packet Bovril instant beef broth for 6 oz(sorry)

Drain beans, add fresh water & bovril packet, bring to boil and leave boiling gently for ~1 hour.

1 large onion chopped finely
4 stalks celery chopped finely (cut stalks in 4 lengthwise)
1 red pepper, 1 red sweet pepper, 1 red habanero, all chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
8 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4" strips

Brown the bacon in a big pot. Pour off most of the fat; set bacon pieces aside. Add the onion, celery & peppers (is it still "trinity" with a habanero ?) and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for ~1 minute. Add the bacon pieces back in, then dump in beans & water from the other pot.

1 T jerk paste
2 t rub (I used Raichlen's Memphis rib rub from How to Grill)
1/2 t salt
1 t dried thyme
1 t chipotle powder

Add the seasoning and cook for ~2 hours, adding water and more seasonings as necessary. Serve over rice. Not fancy but something I could live on.

I sometimes add chopped mushrooms 20-30 minutes before serving but not sure if that makes it better or worse.

Bacon seems to work much better than sausage IMO -- the sausage gave up its flavour but somehow the beans didn't seem to pick it up. As with most good recipes, this can be made into a vegetarian dish by redefining bacon as a vegetable.

Having lived in N.O. for 28 years I hate to say of all the great Creole and Cajun dishes I do, I still don't like my red beans. I cook a better white beans and rice than the red beans. Every time I smoke a ham I always boil the bone for ham stock and use it for the water in my beans. Also I learned something from Paul Prudhomme. Add half the trinity at the begining of the cook and half way through add the other half. The trinity flavor can cook out over a long cook. A Creole trick is to finish Gumbo, Jambalaya, and beans with chopped parsley, green onions, and garlic. Also try some liquid smoke to help with the smokey flavor.

Super easy red beans and rice. This will make enough for two hungry people but can be doubled easily.

1 can of red beans 15 oz size
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano I like to crush between fingers
1/4 to 1/2 tsp white pepper to suit your taste for heat
1/8 tsp cyanne pepper optional
8 oz of your favorite smoked sausage Zeigler sausage if you can find it. Usually comes two per package, use one
1 1/2 tsp cellery seeds
1 tsp garlic powder
2 TBS dried onion bits
1 bay leaf (remove after cooking)

Add beans to a med. sauce pan, dump all engridients (ecept meat) in pan with beans, add about 1/2 can of water, (onions will soak up allot of water) bring to a boil then cut back on heat. Slice sausage to desired thickness and add to mixture cook at a slow boil for at least 10 minutes before starting the rice. Use as little water as possible but note that the sausage will add moisture when put in. Final thickness of the bean sauce can be adjusted at end of cook. If too thin cook longer or mash some beans with fork to thicken.
For rice use 2 cup water to one cup rice. (In another pot) When rice is done it's ready to eat.
I know purists will scoff at the idea of canned beans, but you really need to try this recipe you will love it for its taste and ease of cooking. Start to finish about 1 hour +/-15 minutes
For those that don't like hot foods pepper can be left out completely. Enjoy Ed

John - go here Gumbo Pages. Chuck does an excellent job with all of his recipes. I have made several and each was outstanding. The muffulettas are to die for. I have made andouille sausage several times and have repeated requests for more. Having grown up in NO, I'll vouch for the authenticity of these.

Domm good eats.....