Recipe: Red Beans and Rice

This recipe came from my husband’s love of southern food.  While in Louisiana for my father’s funeral, we grieved with full plates in front of us.  Aaron said, Babe, I need to learn how to make all this stuff.  So he bought Bludso’s Cookbook, consulted the interwebs and let the ancestors guide his hand. This is what he came up with.

*Lo Note: I suggest you cut this recipe in half unless you’re cooking for a bunch of folks.

Ingredients

5 quarts water

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 smoked ham hocks

1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1⁄4-inch-thick coins

2 pounds dried small red beans or red kidney beans , rinsed and sorted (please note that you DO NOT need to soak the beans)

1⁄4 cup chicken bouillon powder

2 tablespoons dark chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1⁄2 teaspoon ground thyme

2 bay leaves

4 serrano chiles

1 habanero chile

11⁄2 cups finely chopped white onions

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper

1⁄4 cup finely chopped garlic

Cooked extra-long-grain white rice, for serving

Chopped parsley for garnishing

Directions

1. In a large stockpot over high heat, combine the water, ham hocks, bouillon powder, bay leaves, serranos, and habanero and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until all the vegetables are wilted, about 6 minutes. Set aside off the heat.

3. When the ham hocks have been simmering for 30 minutes. Add the sausage, dried beans, garlic, chili powder, cayenne, and thyme and stir well, Return to a simmer, re-cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 30 minutes.

4. Add the vegetable mixture, cover, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the ham hocks are soft and falling apart and the beans are fully tender, about 1½ hours. The broth should be nice and thick, like a gravy.

Serve with rice and garnish with a sprinkle of parsley.