I love cooking Louisiana cuisine. I have slowly been making my way through the popular named dishes throughout the years. If I had to pick one dish that is my husband's favorite I would pick this one. It's actually the first meal that I ever made him. That first time was memorable for sure and I can't believe he kept me around after tasting it, but he did and my recipe has come a long way since that time many moons ago! Fast forward to the present day and it is now rare that I make it. I'm not sure why. With the quarantine happening at the moment I have been cooking up a storm so I made sure to add this to the menu! You will need to cut up your vegetables first and have them ready to throw into your dutch oven.
You will simmer the celery, bell pepper, onion, and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, until softened. This will take about 10 minutes.
This is what the vegetables will look like when they are ready!
Next, you will add the beans,
the 8 cups of chicken broth,
1 pound smoked sausage (whichever brand you like),
1 bay leaf and 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves,
and 2 smoked ham hocks.
You will bring this all to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 90 minutes.
After you have cooked the red beans for 90 minutes you will uncover the dish and add additional chicken broth if necessary. Season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne (optional). You can smash some of the beans with that back of your spoon to thicken the red beans. You will allow the mixture to cook for an additional 30 minutes with the lid off.
This is what the red beans will look like once the beans have cooked for the full two hours. Once the beans are finished you will serve them over a bed of rice. We always eat our red beans and rice with a side of coleslaw. For this recipe search the blog for Mrs. Debra's Coleslaw!
Ingredients:
1 small onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP butter
8 cups chicken broth
1 pound red beans, washed, soaked, and picked over
2 pounds smoked sausage, sliced (whatever brand you like best)
2 smoked ham hocks
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
salt, pepper, cayenne to taste
Directions:
In a heavy casserole or dutch oven, simmer onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic in butter, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add beans, 8 cups of chicken broth, sausage, ham hocks, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 90 minutes. If necessary, add additional chicken broth. Uncover, season to taste with salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Using the back of a spoon, mash some of the beans to thicken the red bean mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender and creamy, about 30 minutes. Serve over steamed rice! Some people prefer to add hot sauce to give their red beans a kick! (Makes 6 servings)
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