Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

This is a very traditional Cajun style recipe for Red Beans and Rice, inspired by the “cooking directions” on the bag of Camellia Red Kidney Beans from Harahan, Louisiana.

Traditionally, Red Beans were prepared on Mondays as that was wash day. Once you get them going they don’t require much attention, plenty of time to get your wash done. :)

Ingredients
1 lb. red kidney beans, preferably Camellia
1/2 lb. ham, pickled pork or 2 lb ham hock (not sweet ham)
1 lb. smoked sausage or Andouille, sliced
8-10 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 toe garlic, or about 5 cloves
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 large bay leaf
Salt to taste, about 1 tablespoon
Pepper to taste, about 1 tablespoon (less if desired)
Cajun Seasoning to taste, like Tony Chacherie's

Directions:

Soak beans in 8 cups of water overnight. When ready to prepare, rinse and sort beans, removing discolored beans. Brown sausage in pot. Remove meat. Saute onion, garlic, celery in fat in the pot.

Once cooked down, add beans to the pot with rest of ingredients except sausage. Boil gently, stirring occasionally for about 1 hour, add sausage and cook for another 1/2 hour or until tender. Scoop out 1 cup of beans and mash to make thicker once beans have softened. Add water while cooking if needed.

Serve over hot rice and top with Louisiana Hot Sauce if desired. Serves about 8 to 10