From lynn@mckeehome.com Mon Apr 7 15:50:51 2003 Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 10:02:34 +0000 (UTC) From: Lynn McKee Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Subject: Red Beans and Rice Followup-To: rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes From www.gumbopages.com I've made this a number of times and it's great. It's not a crock pot recipe, but I've made it in the crock pot and it turns out great and you don't have to worry about stirring it, or it sticking etc. Red Beans and Rice 1 pound red kidney beans, dry 1 large onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped 5 ribs celery, chopped 5-6 cloves of garlic 1 large smoked ham hock, or 3/4 lb. smoked ham, diced, for seasoning 1 to 1-1/2 pounds mild or hot smoked sausage or andouille, sliced on the bias 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed 1 or 2 bay leaves As many dashes Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco as you like, to taste A few dashes Worcestershire sauce Creole seasoning blend, to taste; OR, red pepper and black pepper to taste Salt to taste Soak the beans overnight, if possible. The next day, drain and put fresh water in the pot. (This helps reduce the, um, flatulence factor.) Bring the beans to a rolling boil. Make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. Boil the beans for about 45 - 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Drain. While the beans are boiling, saute the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and saute for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. After the beans are boiled and drained, add the sauteed vegetables to the beans, then add the ham hock (or ham or pickle meat), smoked sausage, seasonings, and just enough water to cover. Pour into crockpot and cook for 4 hours on high,or until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Adjust seasonings as you go along. (If the beans are old -- say, older than six months to a year -- they won't get creamy. Make sure the beans are reasonably fresh. If it's still not getting creamy, take 1 or 2 cups of beans out and mash them, then return them to the pot and stir.) If you can ... let the beans cool, stick them in the fridge, and reheat and serve for dinner the next day. They'll taste a LOT better. When you do this, you'll need to add a little water to get them to the right consistency. Serve generous ladles-ful over hot white long-grain rice. -- Rec.food.recipes is moderated by Patricia Hill at recipes@swcp.com. Only recipes and recipe requests are accepted for posting. Please allow several days for your submission to appear. Archives: http://www.cdkitchen.com/rfr/ http://recipes.alastra.com/