Unquiet Desperation

My wife brought this into the marriage. Her mother is from New Orleans and knows how to make a mean pot of Red Beans and Rice. I’ve learned this from her, and then I’ve started to play with it.

The recipe is pretty freeform, and is very forgiving. Here’s how we make it in our house.

1 lb of dry kidney beans, preferably Camilla kidney beans 1 medium-large sized smoked ham hock 1 medium onion 2 stalks of celery 2 cloves of garlic 3 cups of rice (white is traditional, but I use brown or jasmine) 3 bay leaves 1 tsp  ground black pepper

Take the kidney beans, rinse, and put into the crockpot with 6-8 cups of water (enough to cover by about 1 inch), one good sized smoked ham hock and the bay leaves. While that starts to cook, slice and dice the onion, garlic, and celery, sauté in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add to the crockpot. Cook on high for 6-8 hours. Every hour or so, stir and mash the beans to thicken the sauce.  Salt to taste.

By then end, the sauce should be like a gravy, with enough solid beans for texture. Don’t mash ALL the beans, or you’ll get mush, which no one will eat.

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the bag or package.  To serve,  place a scoop of rice on the plate, then cover with a ladleful of the beans from the crockpot. Serve with warm french (or other crusty) bread.

In the past, I’ve added andouille sausage or smoked kielbasa for some added meat. When serving, this is amazing if you add Tabasco or yellow pepper rings on top. It’s also fabulous as leftovers.

Important note: When using beans other than the Camilla beans, you may need to let them soak overnight before cooking. I made this with black beans once, and it became a two day prep. Today, I’m trying azuki beans, and I prepped for it last night by soaking them. I’ll update with post with the results.

I’m going to work on a vegetarian and vegan version of this. I’ll let you know how that goes, when I finish it.