B E A N S , B E A N S
if you haven’t already noticed - i eat a lot of beans.
but this is one of those Louisiana comfort staples.
this may sound strange, but if you’re feeling really lazy the red beans and rice are the best thing on the menu at Popeye’s Chicken.
shit you not.
RED BEANS + RICE
serves 4
2 cans of red kidney beans drained
1 lb of andouille sausage or any other type of smoked sausage chopped into 1/2 inch quarters
1 yellow onion diced
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 green bell pepper diced
3 garlic cloves sliced
3-4 oz white wine
1 cup water
2 cups chicken stock
1-2 tbsp Cayenne pepper powder (to taste)
1 bay leaf
salt to taste
green onion, fresh hot peppers, parsley (for garnish)
1 cup of rice
in a heavy bottom pan or dutch oven add chopped sausage and brown over high heat.
reduce heart to medium high - add onion, bell pepper, and celery and sweat until aromatic and nearly translucent.
add garlic, a pinch of salt, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf stir for another 2 minutes.
add white wine and deglaze pan for 5 minutes scraping off all the sausage browny bits while the booze cooks out of the wine.
add chicken stock and beans - bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or so occasionally stirring.
crush some of the beans on the side of the pot to give the dish a richer texture. if you’ve followed any of my previous recipes you’ll know what this is all about. i do it almost every time.
add water, cover 90%, reduce heat to low.
allow to cook down for 20-30 minutes, checking in and stirring occasionally.
taste and salt accordingly.
cook some rice - i like cooking 1 cup of rice with 1 cup water and 1 cup of chicken stock and a pat of butter.
cooking rice sucks.
plate your beans in a bowl with a scoop of rice in the center.
garnish with fresh cut hot peppers (Serranos, cayenne, etc.), sliced green onion and some parsley.
Pooya!