Red Beans and Ricely yours

Here is the famous New Orleans favorite.  My favorite.  And this is just one of a hundred different ways to cook them… Red Beans and Rice.  Each time I’ve posted about Red Beans and Rice it’s been a different recipe – and this ones no different.

The flooded walkway of Lafayette Cemetary No.1.

On my trip to New Orleans, we took the streetcar along St. Charles Street to the Garden District.  We walked down Washington Street to Lafayette Cemetary No. 1.  It’s an eerie looking place just from the outside of the walls.  As we stepped in, as she introduced herself to the tour group, she called herself a Creole Woman.  He skipped out on the walking tour so we could go at our own pace.  She warned us of the flooding from the previous nights storm.  The aisle ways in some sections were covered with water.  It’s showed the good reason why the gravesites are above ground.   He tooked to the dryer sections of the old, ominous cemetary.  This was mid-morning, I couldn’t imagine this at night.

After the walk, we headed over to the Garden District Bookstore.  I could have spent the entire day there looking at all the books I have only seen the covers to online.  I wanted them all.  History books, nonfiction books, the cookbooks… I bought a couple.  One book was RED BEANS AND RICE-LY YOURS by Christopher Blake.  It’s the “recipes from New Orleans that Louis Armstrong loved”.  The books from the Southern Food and Beverage Museum.  This is the Red Beans and Rice recipe along with a few changes made by myself.

It’s more of a small pamphlet then a book with it only coming in at 24-pages.  The rectangled soft covered booklet has the red beans and rice, gumbos, three different po’ boys, dirty rice, jambalayas, fried chicken, shrimp remoulade plus much more.  The booklets just recipes with a couple paragraph note from the author.  It would have been nice if there where stories of Louis Armstrong and some of the recipes or stories from close friends.  Otherwise it’s a nice little book to have.  It fits in nice with my collection of New Orleans cookbooks.

RED BEANS AND RICE

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs reb beans
• 3 quarts water
• 1 lbs smoked ham, diced
• 1 tbsp garlic *
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup celery, diced *
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 bay leaf *
• 1 tsp Tabasco
• 1/4 tsp thyme
• creole seasoning *
• salt and pepper to taste
• rice
• parsley for garnish *

( the “*” marks ingredients that I added to the original recipe)

Soak the beans overnight to soften.  When ready to cook, drain off the water.

In a dutch oven, add the 3 quarts of water along with the reb beans and turn heat on the burner.

The red beans cook in on pot as the ham and vegetable mixtures heats up in the other. Once mixed, the two are combined.

In another pot, heat oil and saute the onions, celery, garlic and ham for about 10 minutes.  Add the ketchup, vinegar, thyme, tabasco, creole seasoning and salt and pepper and mix well.

Add the ham and vegetable mixture to the pot of red beans and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and let simmer for 3 hours.

Serve with rice, smoked sausage and pickled beets.  Garnish with parsley.  Don’t forget the hot french bread.  Enjoy!