Wash Day Red Beans

Long ago women in the Deep South would put on a big pot of red beans on Monday mornings and then go wash the laundry. The red beans would cook, largely unattended, all day and supper was ready when the laundry was done. Here's my version of a (not all day) slow simmering pot of delicious red beans. Depending on the sausage and ham you use you may want to add hot sauce and/or seasoned salt. Serve with rice, corn bread, and a green salad. Some serve with ketchup, hot sauce, butter, and/or olive oil. Enjoy!

• Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1  lb dried red kidney beans (Camellia brand if you can find it)
• 8  cups water
• 3  celery ribs, chopped
• 2  onions, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  bell pepper, chopped (any color)
• 8  cups water
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  lb  hot smoked sausage, sliced
• 1  lb ham, cut into bite sized pieces
• 12  ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme leaves (or 3-4 sprigs of fresh)
• 2  bay leaves
• 10 1⁄2 ounces  beef consomme
• 1⁄4 cup ketchup
• 4  tablespoons butter
•  kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
•  hot sauce, to taste

Directions

1. Wash and sort the beans.
2. In a large soup pot cover the beans with water and bring to a rolling boil.
3. Turn off the heat and let rest 2-3 hours.
4. Drain and rinse the beans.
5. Return the beans to the pot and add 8 cups water, add a few pinches of pepper, the thyme, and bay leaves and bring to a slow boil. *Don't add salt at this point, wait until the beans have cooked through or else the beans will stay hard.
6. In the meantime, saute the vegetables in the olive oil until soft, about 10-15 minutes.
7. Add to the pot and stir.
8. After the beans have cooked at least 30 minutes, return saute pan to the heat and saute the meats, adding more olive oil if needed.
9. When the sausage and ham bits are cooked and crisping up a bit add that to the bean pot.
10. Return the saute pan once again to the heat and add the consomme, stirring and scraping up the flavorful bits.
11. Pour all of that into the bean pot and stir.
12. Add the whole can of tomatoes and stir.
13. Let simmer on low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are just right.
14. Season with salt, pepper, & hot sauce to taste.
15. I will then mash some of the beans to achieve my desired thickness and then add my secret ingredients: the ketchup and the butter! Shhh.
16. Stir, taste and reseason.
17. Serve in bowls over steamed white or brown rice.