Perfect Recipes: Red Beans and Rice

Some time ago, when my wife started pursuing her college degree, I became the main cook in our house.  This is one of the first recipes that I started with and I've been refining it ever since.  Jared Wilson, a fellow at Boar's Head Tavern, originally shared this dish with me, and I liked it so much its been in my regular meal rotation.  I've been refining it ever since and am very pleased with the final result.

One of the best things about this recipe is how easy it is to make.  Its also relatively inexpensive, and serves a large family with leftovers.  Enjoy!

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 to 8 hours (depending on how you cook it)
Servings: 8-10
Cost: ~$15.00

My red beans and rice recipe

Ingredients:
1 pound dried red beans (I use rosadas), rinsed and sorted over
4-6 strips of bacon
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 lb andoullie sausage (or polish sausage)
1 cup bell peppers, chopped
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbl Tony Cacherres Creole seasoning
1 tsp pimenton (smoked paprika)
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic pressed
3 cups of water
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
2 cups rice (to serve with)

Direction:

• In a large soup pot cook bacon until most of the fat is rendered.
• Remove bacon and saute vegetables in the bacon grease
• After about 4 minutes add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
•  Add all other ingredients, water, stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. 
• Reduce the heat medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and starting to thicken, about 2 hours.
• Alternately, you can transfer all of this to a crock pot and cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
• Serve with cooked rice