Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice is a hearty autumn or winter meal. While green peppers will only be found in season around here during the late summer, the main ingredients, red beans and rice (duh), are pantry staples and legit any time of the year. (You probably wont be growing them in your garden, though...). This recipe (slightly different) was in the January issue of Cooks Illustrated. Don't forget to soak the beans the night before!

Red Beans and Rice:
5 servings

Ingredients:

3 tbsp salt
1 lb. small red beans (2 cups), rinsed
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
1 stalk of celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
4 c. water
12 oz. andouille sausage, sliced
2 tsp. red wine vinegar

For rice:
2 cups jasmine rice
2 tsp. salt
3 cups water
1-2 tbsp. butter


Dissolve salt in 4 quarts cold water in large bowl. Add beans and soak for at least 8 hours. Drain and rinse before moving on.

Brown bacon over medium heat in large pot or skillet. Add onion, green pepper, and celery; cook, stirring frequently until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme, paprika, bay leaves, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; cook 30 seconds.
In a crock pot*, add beans, broth, and water, then stir in vegetable mixture. Cook on high for 3 hours or on medium or low if you want to leave it in the crock pot all day.
When beans are tender, return mixture to the pot and add sausage and vinegar. Cook for 30 minutes.
Boil water for rice, dissolving the salt. Add rice, cover, and cook for twenty minutes. Stir in butter.
If the beans have not thickened, you can thicken them by adding corn starch, 1 teaspoon at a time (dont exceed 4 teaspoons!), until sauce is thick.

*If you do not have a crock pot, increase the water to 6 cups (total) and simmer in a large pot for 1 hour.