The Good Cook's Book of Salt and Pepper by Gershman Liza Jordan Michele Anna

Author:Gershman, Liza, Jordan, Michele Anna
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2014-12-31T16:00:00+00:00

Red Beans & Rice

Serves 6 to 8

You may be surprised to see garlic powder, onion powder, dried spices, and, yes, commercially ground white and black pepper, ingredients increasingly eschewed as we embrace all things as fresh and as natural as possible. Yet these ingredients are essential to create the traditional flavors of New Orleans, where this dish is served in both homes and restaurants on Monday, laundry day, when there is less time for cooking; the beans were traditionally left on the stove to cook all day. You can make delicious beans and rice using all fresh ingredients, of course, but they won’t have that essential Nola flavor.

There are nearly as many variations of red beans and rice as there cooks who make the dish and if you’ve grown up eating it, you don’t need a recipe. You just cook it, getting to your destination by instinct gleaned from years of smelling and tasting. If you didn’t grown up around red beans and rice, though, you do need to begin with a recipe, which you will likely alter as you learn your way around.

1 pound dried red beans, picked over to remove small rocks and other kinds of beans

4 or 5 large celery stalks, cut in fine dice

1 large or 2 medium green bell peppers, cut in fine dice

1 large or 2 medium white or yellow onions, peeled and diced

2 or 3 dried bay leaves

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme (not ground)

1 teaspoon dried oregano (not ground)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground white pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce, plus more to serve

Kosher salt

2 cups uncooked long-grain white rice

Put the beans in a large container, add water to 2 inches above the beans and soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain, rinse, and set aside.

Put the celery, bell peppers, onion, garlic and onion powder, thyme, oregano, peppers, and the 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce in a large saucepan or kettle, add 2 quarts (8 cups) of water, set over high heat, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Skim off the foam and impurities that rise to the surface.

Add the beans and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt and continue cooking until the the beans begin to fall apart, about an hour and a half skimming off foam as needed. Stir frequently and add water as necessary to keep the mixture from becoming too thick; do not let the beans burn. When the beans are almost tender, cook the rice according to the package directions.

When the beans are done, remove from the heat. Taste and correct for salt.

To serve, place a generous scoop of rice in the center of individual serving plates and ladle the beans over the rice. Serve with Tabasco sauce on the side.

Variation:

• Add 1 or 2 smoked ham hocks along with the celery and other ingredients. When the beans are almost tender, remove the ham hocks, cool until easy to handle, pull the meat from the bones, and return to the pot.

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