Red Beans & Rice

Sue Lau's Note:

I don't know if country ham is how they operate down in Cajun country. But I like it. I think it gives a good flavor.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 lb dry red beans
• 2 quarts water
• 1 slice country ham , cut into pieces
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• hot cooked rice

Directions:

1. Sort beans and rinse thoroughly.
2. In a 5-quart pot combine beans, water, ham, onion, celery, and bay leaves.
3. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender.
4. Stir and mash some of the beans against the side of the pan.
5. Add green pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme, salt (if needed), and black pepper.
6. Cook uncovered over low heat until thick and creamy, and 30-45 minutes.
7. Remove bay leaves before serving.
8. Serve in bowls over hot cooked rice; have hot sauce like Crystal or Tabasco ready.

Reviews

[Michael Evans]

This recipe came out very good, and was easy to make, but extremely bland. I jazzed it up with a couple of tablespoons of Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning, but I imagine that you could use Zatarain's or just about any other brand, or even plain salt. The whole recipe only had 1 teaspoon of salt in it, and not enough cayenne pepper for me. Beans soak up salt like little sponges, so wait until the recipe is finished before adding salt (or Cajun seasoning) to taste, so that all that sodium won't evaporate into the beans. Overall a good, simple recipe that takes about 2 hours to make, but provides about 15 servings when you add rice.