As you may have read in my post on my journey to publication, my husband and I left New Orleans three days after Hurricane Katrina made landfall. This coming weekend will be an emotional commemoration, especially for those of us who no longer live in New Orleans but still feel a deep affection and longing for the city that, every day, continues to rise above the challenges it has faced.
As my forthcoming novel LITTLE GALE GUMBO is in part a tribute to my love of New Orleans and its unmatched culture and history, I thought I would offer another tribute with today’s post by giving our family recipe for red beans and rice, a quintessential New Orleans dish that is traditionally made on Monday (wash-day) but can certainly be made and savored any day (or days!) of the week.
1. Soak one bag of dried beans overnight in enough water that it rises about an inch above the beans. (Don’t use canned beans–they don’t come close–you need the starch of the dried beans to thicken the sauce.)
2. Add beans and water to pot (cast iron is preferable if you have it, or something equally sturdy–we were at a friend’s house here and didn’t have our trusty pot) as well as one onion, chopped, and several cloves of crushed garlic.
3. Heat over medium/high heat until boiling; add several bay leaves, 2 tablespoons of fresh thyme (dried is fine too), salt and pepper to taste.
4. When mixture begins to boil, lower heat to simmer and cover. Leave simmering for at least two hours, stirring occasionally. Add coins of smoked sausage (such as andouille or smoked turkey sausage–it must be smoked otherwise it will fall apart on you when sliced/cooked) to the beans to warm the sausage but don’t overcook. The beans will thicken considerably.
5. Turn off heat. Serve over rice with as much hot sauce as you care for. You can serve immediately or the next day–personally, we prefer to cook it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight–the flavors get better with time.
Not too hard to make, very hard not to eat. Enjoy!
Erika,
I love red beans and rice, but can you believe I’ve never tried it New Orleans style? I will definitely have to give this a try.
By the way, I just love how you discuss both your writing and cooking here. It makes me think of Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. It’s like a little surprise when I visit–will it be a recipe or writing advice? I look forward to it, especially since cooking is my second passion.
Thanks for the recipe!
Jenny
Hi Jenny! I’m intrigued now–what’s your recipe for Red Beans?
Thank you for the compliment on the content–I have vowed to even out the cooking and writing more–I miss posting those pictures and, of course, the excuse to make certain decadent (and not so decadent) things!
I’ll be checking in your way soon!
Wow- New Orleans style beans sounds (and looks) so yummy Erika- thank you for sharing the recipe ( and making it look so easy)
New Orleans is on my “top ten places to visit” list- I hope I’ll get to eat that delicious dish in New Orleans some time soon…
Lua, you would love New Orleans–it is like no other place in the US. The food and the architecture…heaven!
Hello Erika!
I finished your book in November, and was immediately taken in with New Orleans and the food. As someone who has never traveled south of Virginia, you could say my culinary experiences are lacking. I was so enthralled by your stories that I spent the week after I finished the book making all of the recipes you included. My husband and I loved the red beans and rice, and the gumbo wowed everyone in my book club (including two natives from LA-one of whom said it was the best gumbo she had ever had-including her mother’s!) I am visiting family for the holidays and mentioned your gumbo. Now everyone is craving it, but my book is home in DC and we are here in CO. Would you please consider posting your gumbo recipe for us so that my family and I may enjoy it before our flight home on New Year’s Eve?
We would be ever so grateful, and I would love to expose my western family to your
Delicious cooking!
Thank you, Amanda