Red Beans and Rice
The satisfying combination of meaty
kidney beans and rice can be as down-home as boiled beans and boiled
rice or as upscale as the spicy mixture presented here. Good with pork
of all kinds, especially spicy grilled Cajun andouille sausage.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
1 pound (3 to 3 1/2 cups) dried red kidney beans, picked over, soaked
overnight, and drained
1 large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
6 ounces salt pork or
steak-of-lean, sliced, soaked in water to cover for 1 hour, and drained
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Hot pepper sauce to taste
4 cups freshly cooked rice, hot (about 1 1/3 cup raw)
Chopped fresh parsley
Place the beans, onion, garlic, thyme,
salt pork, black pepper, and red pepper in a medium size kettle.
Add water to cover the beans by 2 inches.
Cover and simmer over low heat until the beans are tender, about 2
hours.
Remove the cover and season with salt and
hot pepper sauce.
Simmer until the beans are very tender
but bit dry-there should be enough liquid to serve as a bit of sauce-about 10 minutes.
To serve, mound the rice on serving plates or in bowls. Spoon the beans
generously over the rice and garnish with the parsley.
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