Friend of a Friend's Red Beans and Rice

I've never been to Louisiana for "authentic" red beans and rice, but this is really good. I found this recipe on a blog named "use real butter," and the blogger got it from a friend that clipped it from a newspaper in Farmington, NM. It has a very nice spice mixture and serves a ton of people! I usually make half the recipe when I make it, because it's just my husband and me, and that way I can enjoy it for lunches too. I use a whole bay leaf in the half recipe, and I have found that King Soopers/Kroger sells Aidell's chicken and turkey sausage (12 oz.) that is fully cooked with the flavors of spicy mango and jalapeno. They also have a habenero and green chile one, too. I have used both (at different times), and they are both good, when I half the recipe. I posted the original recipe that was on the blog, so you could do whatever you'd like! Also, I like to serve French bread or cornbread with this.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons  oil
• 1  tablespoon garlic, minced
• 2  cups onions, minced
• 1  cup green pepper, cored and minced
• 1  cup celery, minced
• 1⁄4 cup fresh parsley, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground
• 1  bay leaf
• 1⁄2 teaspoon thyme leaves, dried
• 1  teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1  tablespoon sugar
•  salt
•  pepper
• 28  ounces tomatoes, diced, undrained
• 4 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans, drained
• 1⁄2 lb andouille sausage, cooked and diced
• 1  lb Polish sausage, cooked and diced
• 4  cups cooked rice
• 1  cup scallion, minced

Directions

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan, and sauté garlic, onion, green pepper, and celery until onions are translucent.
2. Add parsley, cayenne, bay leaf, thyme, Tabasco, sugar, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and beans.
3. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the mixture simmer for a few minutes.
4. Put 2-3 cups of the mixture into a large pot with some of the liquid and purée it using a food processor, blender, or hand blender.
5. Add the remaining saute mixture to the pot, and add sausages. Simmer for 30 minutes.
6. Remove the bay leaf and mix well with rice. Garnish with scallions.