RED BEANS AND RICE

New Orleans-Style Red Beans & Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 (1-pound) package Camellia Brand Red Kidney Beans
• 1 (32-ounce) container no-sodium chicken broth
• Water, as needed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound of tasso, smoked ham, or pickled pork or a large ham hock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Hot sauce to taste
• Creole seasoning to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 6 cups white or brown rice, cooked

Total time:

4 hours, 30 minutes

Prep time:

30 minutes

Cook time:

4 hours

Yield:

6-8

Directions:

1. Rinse and sort beans. (Optional: Soak beans using your preferred method.)
2. Place beans in a large stew pot and cover with chicken broth. If needed, add fresh water so that mixture is a ratio of 1 part beans to 2 parts liquid.
3. Bring the beans to a rolling boil, then lower heat, and simmer for 1-2 hours, or until tender. Stir often, (so that beans don't stick to bottom of pot) and add water as needed. 
4. Brown the meat in a skillet. Remove meat and set aside. In the drippings in skillet, sauté onions, celery, parsley and bell pepper until tender. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add meat, sautéed vegetables, bay leaf and thyme to the beans. Water should cover all.
5. Continue to simmer for 1-3 hours, until beans are tender and creamy (continue to stir and avoid burning on bottom of pot).
6. To make creamier beans, remove 2 or 3 cups of beans from the pot, puree them with a mixer or blender, and return to pot. Add hot sauce, salt, pepper and/or Creole seasoning to taste.
7.  Serve over rice.