(Faux) Red Beans and Rice

Faux Red Beans and Rice

This is one of our most frequently made recipes, dating back to something that I threw together 12 or 15 years ago and have been making ever since. We called it "red beans and rice" although that is somewhat of a misnomer. It has red beans in it, we eat it with rice, and it is Cajun influenced, but anyone familiar with Cajun food will know that there is a specific dish called Red Beans and Rice, and this isn't it. That being said, it is generally evocative of something along those lines, and we have been calling it this for so long that we can't change now. Us, in-laws, family and neighbors all refer to this by that name, so that is what it has become.

The genesis of this recipe was to throw something together quickly that used easy ingredients, didn't take a lot of time, and was cajun-ish in nature. It proved to be easy, remarkably good, adaptable to variations, and cheap. So we've been making it ever since.

The basic recipe goes something like this (sized for either a lot of people or a smaller family meal with leftovers). We make it in big batches because it is one of those dishes that gets even better as it sits.

Ingredients:

• 2.5-3 pounds pre-cooked smoked sausages, cut into bite sized pieces. In our area, Hillshire Farms smoked sausages, kielbasa, etc, are readily available and are good for what they are. We also often use Aidell's andouille sausage. Anything by Aidell's is great. [Three packages in the 12-16 oz range]
• 1 large onion, medium-large dice.
• 2 bell peppers, medium dice. 1 red and 1 green is nice for color.
• 1 or 2 jalapenos, fine dice.
• 1or 2 14oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed. Depends how much you like beans.
• 14oz can diced tomatoes, with juice.
• 14oz can tomato sauce, or a similar amount of crushed tomatoes.
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced.
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

Add the sausage to a very hot dutch oven or other large pot and cook 5-7 minutes over high heat, stirring frequently. The sausages are already cooked, so you are just trying to sear the edges for a little crispiness and color. Don't overdo and burn them.

Add the onions and garlic and cook 5 more minutes to soften and get a little color.

Smoked sausage and onions

Add peppers and spices, stirring to mix well, and cook for 2-3 minutes to open up the spices before adding the liquid.

Add bell peppers and hot peppers

Add diced tomatoes and tomato sauce/crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then immediately reduce heat to medium (or whatever it takes to get a nice simmer going). Add the beans. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes (or more).

Add crushed tomatoes and diced tomatoes

Serve with rice and/or crusty bread. Amp thinks everything goes with rice. I believe the same about a good crusty bread.

This can be made further ahead and simmered longer, but if you do a longer cooking time be careful to keep it mostly covered or you will evaporate too much liquid and dry it out. If it does start to dry out, I would add a little water or chicken broth to thin it out. If you add more crushed tomato or tomato sauce it becomes more strongly tomato flavored (although you might like that).

The heat can be adjusted by deleting or reducing the cayenne for a milder version, or adding more hot peppers (of whatever variety) or cayenne, or even a hot chili powder, for a spicier version.