A big favorite in our household is Cajun Red Beans and Rice.  Traditionally cooked on Monday which was laundry day because cooking beans the traditional way is an all day (and sometimes close to two) process.  Taking the time is almost worth it since the pot of beans is to die for!

Any red bean will work – small, large, kidney.  The dish tastes  almost as good if you use pressure cooked red beans.  And you can always use canned kidney beans.  Whatever beans you decide to use the basic recipe methodology is the same.

So with out further ado; here it is:

Red Beans and Rice (or Cornbread Topping)

1. Sauté
   • 1/2 c celery
   • 1 large onion
   • 2 cups fresh pepper*
2. When onion is turning clear add
   • 1 c mirepoix
   • 1 Tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried basil
   • 1 Tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
   • 1/2  Tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano or marjoram
   • 1/4 Tablespoon fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
   • Salt to Taste
3. Simmer for 5 minutes
4. Put veggies and herb into a big pot – I prefer a Dutch Oven
5. Add the beans
   • 1 1/2 cup of dried beans or 4 cups of cooked beans
6. Add waterto the pot
   • 10-12 cups for dried beans and 6-8 cups for cooked beans
7. Add dried herbs:
   • Chipotle*
   • 3 bay leaves
8. Cook on stove top or in crock pot stirring occasionally and check liquidity. . . you will probably need to keep adding water as you cook
9. Serve on a bed of brown rice

Now about the peppers:  The amount of heat you want varies greatly from person to person.  I make ours mildly spicy.  David adds chopped jalapeño or dried red chilies to his to make it hotter. The other thing to note is that the brown rice we use soaks up a lot of the heat; you might be surprised.

Another way I like to serve this is to take the cooked beans and put them into a deep well-greased casserole dish.  Then I stir up a batch of corn bread (either from scratch or if I am in a hurry I used Pamela’s mix).  When the cornbread batter is well mixed, I pour it over the top of the red beans and bake until the cornbread is done.

Either way you fix it, when it is accompanied by fresh greens (steamed or sautéed) it is a most satisfying and tasty meal!

• *About Peppers– you can change up the mix; just put together 2 cups of whatever you have or whatever you like..  For a less hot mix use more green pepper and sweet yellow chilies instead of Anaheim or jalapeño.  To make it hotter, add more jalapeño and leave the seeds in any or all of the peppers.  If you are really adventurous or don’t mind risking fire in your body you can always add some habaneros.
  • For the fresh peppers I use:
    • 1 c bell pepper
    • 3/4 c Anaheim chili
    • 1/4 c deseeded jalapeño
  • For the Chipotle I use 2 small or one large dried Chipotle.
    • Before adding the Chipotle  I soak in boiling water, break open the chili and deseed.  Then I add the water and the deseeded chopped chili to the pot.