Red Beans and Rice





New Years Eve dinner was red beans and rice (rb&r), a traditional meal in the south typically served on Monday night. Our favorite version of red beans and rice can be quickly made if one uses canned small red beans, but is still best if made the night before and allowed to sit in the fridge overnight. There is no real correct way to make rb&r as long as the rice and beans are done and the meal is tasty, but I like it spicy and typically make rb&r the following way which will serve four:

3/4 Vidalia or otherwise sweet onion
2 cans small red beans
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teapoon powdered thyme
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1-2 tablespoons Cayenne chile powder
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle (goes a loooong way)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
8-12 button mushrooms (quartered)
1 cup white rice
Leave as is for vegetarian or pick your meat of choice.
Serves 4

I start by caramelizing the onions in a cast iron skillet. Once the onions are done, de-glaze the pan with white wine. Coarsely chop the onions and add them to a large pot holding the two cans of small red beans with their liquid on low heat. Also, place the pan de-glazing into the pot of red beans. As the beans are heating, take a potato masher and crush just a few of the beans in the pot to make for variety of texture. Then start seasoning the beans and onions with the sage, thyme, two crushed garlic cloves, chile powder, paprika chipotle flakes, salt, pepper, bay leaves and sugar. Stir the beans and evenly mix in the spices then quarter the mushrooms and add those into the bean mixture. Heat on medium heat until mushrooms are cooked then ladle over the cooked rice (two cups water per cup of rice and cook until tender) and eat or place beans in refrigerator over night to let the flavors mix. We like to eat rb&r with crawfish, so I cook crawfish, seasoning them in Old Bay Seasoning and put them over the top of the beans at the very end and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. You should be able to get crawfish precooked and frozen or fresh from a variety of resources. We get farmed crawfish in both fresh and frozen forms from our local fish monger, Aquarius Fish Market.


Posted: Tue - January 2, 2007 at 10:42 AM          

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