Cajun Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients

- 1 pound of dried red beans
- 2 cups of chopped onions (white or yellow)
- 1 cup of chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 4 teaspoons of chopped garlic
- 2 links of smoked sausage (cut in half and then cut into ¾ inch pieces)
- 3 strips of bacon
- 10 cups of chicken stock (You can substitute water if you like, or use a half water half stock mixture)
- 4 cups of rice
- ½ cup of chopped green onions for garnishing
- Sour cream for garnishing (This is strictly optional)

Spicy add-ins; If you want the meal to be a little more spicy, add ½ cup of chopped Tasso, (a Cajun sausage) and a little more cayenne pepper.

Preparation

In a large container, the night before you serve the meal, cover the beans with water, by about 2 inches. Let the beans soak overnight or for a minimum of 8-10 hours.

Drain the beans.

Take the bacon and cut it into small pieces, add to a large pre-heated pot. If you want the dish to be more spicy, add the chopped Tasso and cook for about 1-2 minutes.

Add the onions, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook for about 4 minutes, or until the onions look caramelized. Add the sausage and parsley and cook until the sausage is brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.

Add the beans and chicken stock, bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered for 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and to check to see if the beans are getting too thick, if so you may need to ad water.

(I like my beans on the thick side and after about 1 ½ -2 hours I take 1/3 of the beans out of the pot and mash them, then reinsert them into the pot.) Then I let them cook for another ½ -1 hours.

Pre-cook the rice using the standard formula of 2 cups of water or chicken stock, for 1 cup of rice, add about 1 teaspoon of salt if you use water, but do not add salt if you use chicken stock.

Serve the beans & sausage mixture over a bed of warm rice and garnish as desired with the green onions and/or sour cream.

Obed Kirkpatrich had been cooking since he was 12 years old. He has had several of his receipts appear in newspapers in Louisiana, one time a full page devoted to simple and easy cajun receipts.

He lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for 25 years and it was there that he honed his Cajun cooking skills. He now resides in Franklin, TN and since moving there has taught many Tennesseans the art of southern Cajun cuisine. His receipts are simple, easy and mouth watering.

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