Name: Cajun Red Beans and Rice
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 bay leaf; Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; ½ pound garlic or smoked sausage, thinly sliced; 1 small hot red pepper, chopped; ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled; ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled; 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice; 2 cups chicken broth; ½ cup diced cooked ham; 1 red onion, finely chopped; ½ small green bell pepper, seeded and chopped; 1 rib celery, chopped; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1½ cups dried kidney beans, rinsed and picked over; 1 medium onion, chopped; 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preparation info

Makes
6
servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Glory of Southern Cooking

By James Villas

Published 2007

About

A big bowl of red beans and rice, maybe a few links of spicy sausage, a small loaf of hot French bread, and bottles of ice-cold Dixie beer—such is the traditional menu on any given Monday in homes, cafés, and unpretentious restaurants throughout the Louisiana Delta and in New Orleans. No matter that the beans and rice can contain ham hocks, diced chicken, smoked sausage, salt pork, or a local packaged seasoning called “pickled pork”—depending on the self-appointed authority in the kitchen.