25. Favre's Fave Red Beans and Rice
Makes: 10 servings
Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 1 hr to 20 hrs
Stand: 8 hrs
Ingredients:
1 pound dry red kidney beans or dry red beans (about 2-1/2 cups)
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 pound cooked smoked sausage, andouille or kielbasa sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into
1/2-inch slices
1 meaty smoked ham shank or pork hock
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 cups hot cooked white or brown rice
Directions:
Rinse beans. In a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven, combine beans and 8 cups water. Cover and let soak in a cool place for 8 hours or overnight. (Or, bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.) Drain and rinse beans. Set aside.
In the same Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until onion is tender but not brown. Sprinkle flour over onion mixture; stir to combine. Carefully stir in drained beans, sausage, ham shank, black pepper and 6 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until beans are tender, stirring occasionally.
Remove ham shank. When cool enough to handle, cut meat off bone; coarsely chop meat. Discard bone. Return chopped meat to Dutch oven. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes more or until heated through and a thick gravy forms, stirring occasionally. Season with salt. Serve the bean mixture over hot cooked rice. Makes 10 (1/2-cup rice and 3/4-cup beans) serving.
HOT TIP #1:
Advance tailgating preparation:
Prepare red bean recipe as directed; store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
To reheat, transfer beans to Dutch oven. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through.
HOT TIP #2:
To tote: Transfer hot beans to a 3-1/2- to 5 -/2-quart slow cooker. Cover tightly. Place hot cooked rice in a tightly covered container. Transport in an insulated carrier or container. Serve within 1 hour OR hold hot beans in a slow cooker on low-heat setting for up to 1 hour.