Recipe Red Beans and Andouille Sausage Over Rice

ElizabethB

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A hearty, inexpensive dish. Great served with a garden veggie salad.

Ingredients

1 lb. dried red kidney beans, rinsed and soaked in water over night
Option: 1 15 oz. can red kidney beans with juice.
1 large yellow onion - chopped
1 green bell pepper - cored and chopped
2 ribs celery - diced
2 cloves garlic - smashed and minced
1 jalapeno or fresh cayenne pepper - cored and minced
2 dried Bay Leaves
2 to 3 tbsp. EVOO or vegetable oil.
6 cups chicken stock + 2 tbsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base dissolved in the hot stock to kick it up a notch. Reserve 2 to 3 tbsp. stock to deglaze sausage pan.

Herbs

3 or 4 fresh sage leaves
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 or 4 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley

*The herbs can be chopped or tied in a bundle with kitchen twine.

1 lb. Andouille Sausage - sliced

*Traditional Andouille is 1 1/2 to 2 times larger in diameter than commercially process Andouille or regular smoked pork sausage. I usually cut each slice in half.

2 cups uncooked long grain white rice - prepared according to the package directions

Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Red Tabasco Sauce
*Note : I use other Louisiana produced hot sauce for most of my dishes that need that extra kick. I find that Tabasco has a distinct vinegar taste. There are a few dishes - like red beans and rice that are best complement with Tabasco rather than other hot sauces.

Method

Drain the soaked dry beans and rinse again picking out any grit.
Put the beans in a large pot of the chicken stock with the Base.
If using canned beans add the beans and the can juices.

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.

In a heavy skillet heat oil. Add onions, Celery, Bell Pepper and Jalapeno or Cayenne Pepper. Cook until onions are translucent. Add Garlic and cook until just fragrant.

Add to the pot of beans.

Toss in the fresh herbs and Bay leaves.

Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally.

Using the same skillet that the veggies were cooked in brown the slices of Andouille. Deglaze with the reserved stock to get all of the yummy goodness from the bottom of the skillet. Set aside the sausage and pan juices.

Simmer the beans for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add the sausage and the pan drippings. Continue to simmer until the beans are tender. Another hour. After 30 minutes taste for seasoning. Add salt and ground cayenne pepper to taste.

Towards the end of the cooking time remove a large cooking spoon or ladle of the beans and smash them to a paste. Return to the pot and stir well.

When beans are tender serve over steaming long grain white rice. Add a few dashes of tabasco sauce.

If you use canned beans the cooking time needs to be reduced considerable. Since I use dried beans I can only guess that the total cooking would be 45 to 60 minutes.

If you are interested in a little bit of history and tradition associated with this recipe look here

https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/cooking-in-south-louisiana.10886/
 
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@ElizabethB

I have never been to New Orleans before however, dear Friends in Madrid had told me, a Young New Orleans Native Chef from the James Beard Org. has opened a New Orleans, Restaurant specialising in regional Louisiana fare in the historic district of Plaza de España, in the Madrid Capital ..

They told me that the next time I am in Madrid, they will treat me for lunch there .. They raved about it .. It is very tiny and the fare was truly exceptional they had stated ..

Obtaining New Orleans Sausage in Spain, is very very very difficult as we are large porc producers. It could be ordered from a distributor, perhaps via this restaurant, however, it is unavailable to my knowledge and Price wise, not feasible for a small purchase ..

I did not ask my Friends if they had the Andouille Sausage or not ..

I have Heard of Gumbo and Jambalaya but have never had either ..

However, your recipe would be lovely with Spanish Fresh Sausage and Fresh Blood Sausage, called Morcilla de Burgos ( Black Pudding in the U.K. ).

Have a wonderful weekend ..
 
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@Francesca

Andouille sausage may be difficult or expensive to source. Any good smoked pork sausage can be used as a substitute. A key element is the smoky flavor of the sausage.
 
This sounds like a tasty recipe. I read about the history which was fascinating. I think I may be able to source some Andouille sausage. That is the great thing about living in London! I would like to try it so will have a hunt for that sausage.
 
@Francesca

Andouille sausage may be difficult or expensive to source. Any good smoked pork sausage can be used as a substitute. A key element is the smoky flavor of the sausage.

@ElizabethB

Definitely .. It surely has Spanish Roots !! Tolosa, Navarre Red Alubias Beans are heaven on earth ..

I can obtain smoked sausages fresh or cured .. I personally prefer fresh ..

Ok, smoky sausage profile .. Got it ! I shall ask my Butcher(s) / Charcuterie Butcher what they advise .. Perhaps, smoked wild boar sausage.

Shall let you know !

Have a nice day ..
 
@Francesca

Smoked wild boar sausage sounds great! Just the thing. :D

@ElizabethB

I realise now that French Andouille Sausage is prepared in Lyon, France and it is prepare in a a variety of ways; Smoked porc, smoked veal, a combo of the 2 meats, and / or smoked lamb .. It is also prepared with organ meats, the traditional way and the more modern method ..

I had called my French Mom in law and she told me .. She was born and raised close to Marseille, in a small town called Le Salon de Provençe, which houses a IX Century Castle still in tact .. It is 30 - 40 minutes north of the Mediterranean Sea / Marseille Port, called Vieux Port
(the old port) ..

Have a lovely day .. It really does not get cold cold in Barcelona until mid November, so it is noted in my notebook ..

It is over 30 degrees Centig here today, very warm ..

Have a lovely day ..
 
I will give this recipe a try at the weekend. We have a good local supplier of sausages and I think they have smoked varieties.
 
@jennyb

Can't wait to hear how you like it. Do you have access to Tabasco sauce? I know it is available internationally. It really adds that finishing touch to the dish.

:happy:
 
@jennyb

Can't wait to hear how you like it. Do you have access to Tabasco sauce? I know it is available internationally. It really adds that finishing touch to the dish.

:happy:

I have Tabasco sauce in the larder so no problem.:okay: I am intending to cook this on Saturday. I need to get to the farm shop for the sausages on Friday.
 
@ElizabethB, I made your recipe pretty well to the letter - except that I couldn't get Andouille sausages so I substituted Toulouse sausages which contained smoky bacon. I also 'painted' them with liquid smoke before grilling them (I grilled rather than fried).

A few other minor changes: I used canned beans (2 x 400g cans) plus their canning liquor. I then started adding stock. The recipe stated 6 cups but this seemed way too much given the beans were already cooked. I added 2 cups. I used fresh bay leaves rather than dried - but I think that probably added more flavour. I also used one yellow pepper and one green rather than both green as I thought it would add colour (and I happened to have both).

I cooked the stew for about an hour - long enough to reduce the stock. My only mild disappointment was that the colour of the stock was rather pale as you can see in the photo of the stew in the pan. I don't know if that is normal. In the other photos the sauce has soaked into the rice so isn't very visible.

In conclusion, I am really surprised by this dish. I hadn't anticipated the complexity and depth of flavour of the sauce which I think comes from the combination of the aromats (herbs), the jalapeño and the slight smokiness imparted by sausage.

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Or it you prefer a more 'old school' plate:

20171007_152259.jpg
 
@morning glory

I am so glad you liked my humble, country recipe.

The color looks good. Frying the sausage and deglazing the pan does add a little color.

Your photos are beautiful.

This recipe is second nature and I can make it with my eyes closed. One thing I do that I forgot to mention - towards the end of the cooking time remove a large cooking spoon or ladle of the beans and smash them to a paste. Return to the pot and stir well.

:oops: Sorry. That was not an intentional omission.

I was tried to edit the recipe but the edit button has gone away.
 
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