Last month, I made some delicious gumbo. But, as a result, I had some leftover andouille I needed to use. Most times, I end up throwing my leftover proteins in the freezer and forgetting about them. But, this time, I was set on making a dish to use them up. To be clear, I didn’t leave the sausage in the fridge and make this a month later, lol. Don’t do that. I made this a while ago and it’s just now making it to the blog!
The only time I’ve ever eaten red beans and rice was as a sad side to some fast food fried chicken. So, I went to the experts: Cook’s Illustrated. As you can see on my main page, they are a solid resource and one that I’ve used quite often. Besides the heavy hitters, like Jacques, Julia, and Food & Wine, Cooks Illustrated was one of the sole sources I trusted when learning how to cook. I try to feature a few of their recipes every year as I know not everyone can afford a yearly subscription. How do I know, because I was once that person. I would watch their shows on Public Television and scribble recipes onto random pieces of paper, hoping I could read my chicken scratch later down the road. As in the past, they didn’t let me down. This dish is a warm hug with its warmly-spiced broth and a little heat to make these cold nights a little more lively.
Red Beans & Rice
Red Beans from America’s Test Kitchen, Cook’s Illustrated Thyme Rice from Notes from a Young Black Chef: a Memoir, Kwame Onwuachi
4 slices of bacon, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
Green bell pepper, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely diced
4 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp minced fresh oregano
1 tsp minced fresh thyme + 1 sprig for the rice
½ tsp cayenne pepper
4 bay leaves
1 lb of red kidney beans
7 cups chicken stock
½ lb Andouille sausage, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick
2 tbsp butter
1 cup white rice
Render the bacon in a large dutch oven set over medium heat, until beginning to brown. Stir in the onion, pepper and celery with a pinch of salt. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic until fragrant, then add in 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, the chopped herbs, cayenne, bay leaves, ½ tsp of salt, the beans, stock and 7 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium, maintaining a vigorous simmer, cooking uncovered for 2 to 2.5 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beans are soft and the liquid has thickened. You’ll probably want to reduce the heat closer to the end of the cooking time so as to not over-reduce the stock.
Then, add in the sausage and cook for another 30 minutes until the thickened stock is more creamy.
After adding the sausage, prepare the rice by melting the 2 tbsp of butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the rice until coated with the butter and lightly toasted, about a minute. Then add 1 ⅔ cups of water with a heavy pinch of salt and the sprig of thyme. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and let the pot sit covered, for at least 5 minutes, or until you’re ready to plate.
Just before serving, taste the beans for any seasoning needs. Serve with the fluffed thyme rice.
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