In New Orleans, Mondays are not only the start of the work week, but are also traditionally ‘red beans and rice day.’ The origin of this weekly culinary tradition stems from a couple of noteworthy facts—first, Mondays were traditionally ‘wash days’, or the day that the lady of the house dedicated to cleaning the house and doing the laundry. Therefore, she would wake up early Monday morning and put a big pot of red beans on the stove to cook all day for a no-fuss, easy dinner that evening after she wrapped up her cleaning. Also, it was tradition that often times ham was served for Sunday night dinner, so the leftover ham and ham bones were used Monday morning in the red beans and rice for added flavor and extra protein.
Times have certainly changed in the Big Easy since the time of ‘wash days’, but the best part of the tradition stuck—red beans and rice being served on Mondays. You will still see local families and even restaurants serving the delectable, home style dish every Monday. Being a Louisiana-girl myself, red beans and rice, just like crawfish etouffee, king cake, and rich coffee with chicory (the list could go on and on…) is a dish that I often crave. I may not make it every week, but when I do make it, there is enough to serve for dinner that night, and even more to have for lunch the rest of the week.
Mise en place for the red beans and rice
My fast and fresh version of Red Beans & Rice will instantly transport you to the great state of Louisiana, and perhaps convince you to incorporate this tasty Louisiana tradition into your cooking repertoire. Like most Cajun dishes, this one begins with trilogy—the celery, onion, and bell pepper staple of the region’s cooking, incorporates spicy Andouille sausage and dark red beans, and finishes off with a garnish of green onions, parsley, and a dash or two of Tabasco sauce. This dish is best when served along a mess o’greens and a tender piece of homemade cornbread. Bon appetit, cher.
A side of sautéed turnip greens and a wedge of cornbread
(To view the recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Red Beans & Rice
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup of long grain white rice
- 14 oz. of Andouille sausage, cut into ¼ inch rounds
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 stalk of celery, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 2-(15 oz.) cans of reduced sodium red beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For garnish: sliced green onions, Italian parsley, and Tabasco sauce
Directions:
- In a small sauce pan bring the stock to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, add the rice, stir, and cover. Cook for 20 minutes or until the stock has evaporated and the rice is tender.
- In a large sauté pan, sear the sausage rounds over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan followed by the diced onion, garlic, celery and green pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the red beans and 1/2 cup of chicken stock to the pan along with the salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 15 minutes.
- Serve the red beans on top of the white rice, with a garnish of green onions, parsley, and Tabasco sauce.
Tagged: Andouille sausage, Cajun, celery, chicken stock, Creole, garlic, green onions, green pepper, Louisiana, New Orleans, onions, parsley, red beans, red beans and rice, Tabasco sauce, trilogy, vegetable stock, white rice
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