Let’s make a New Orleans Feast! We have family coming over from New Orleans. So the plan is to make a dinner to celebrate their visit and to partake and enjoy some of the great dishes from that part of the country. The meal plan is to serve Grilled Oysters, Red Beans and Rice, and a Louisiana Gumbo! Check out all the links below for recipes. The recipe for Red Beans and Rice is down below.

Side Dish – (Recipe Below)

The recipe for Red Beans and Rice is not very complex. It does take a little planning if you want to soak your beans. It’s not a problem throwing your beans in a pot of water to start the cooking process. However, I think you achieve a better result if you let the beans soak overnight. Even soaking your beans for a couple of hours will help to shorten your cooking time. If time is of the essence and you can plan accordingly, soaking your beans is the way to go.

This dish is pretty filling and can easily be a main course. We added a ham hock to bring a little smokiness to the dish. I suggest not using any other type of sausage other than Andouille.

I have found a star among “bean” producers; Rancho Gordo. Their heirloom bean products are amazing! They have types of beans you cannot find anywhere else. Give them a try (Check them out!)! If you are talking to someone in New Orleans, they will probably mention the Camelia Style Brand of red beans. The Camellia brand might be readily available in your part of the woods. I suggest being prepared and get your red beans from Rancho Gordo. If you are cooking spur of the moment, Camellia will definitely work.

How About the Rest of the Menu – Appetiser

The recipe for Grilled Oysters is my version of the one used by Drago’s Restaurant in New Orleans. The first time I had those oysters, I felt I could easily eat one dozen of them by myself. They are So Good! You can find my recipe here. Don’t forget to have some bread (toasted garlic bread) nearby. You need to soak some bread, and dip a slice in all the buttery goodness! Is there a lot of butter in this dish? Yes…deal with it!

Main Course

Our main course for tonight’s Feast is Gumbo. Gumbo can be a soup or more stew-like depending on how much broth you have in the dish. Check here for my recipe for a Louisiana Gumbo This is different from Jambalaya which is very similar to Spanish Paella. Check here for my recipe for Jambalaya!

Hope you have a chance to make your own New Orleans Feast. Leave your comments below and as always, thanks for Spending Time in My Kitchen!

Red Beans and Rice

Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

minutes

Soaking Time

hours

Ingredients

1 lb Red kidney beans (Rancho Gordo or Camelia brand)
1 lb Andouille sausage, cut into small coins
1 lg Onion, finely diced
1 Bell pepper, finely diced
3 Celery ribs, finely diced
1 tsp Cayenne, or cajun seasoning to taste
1 tsp Sage
1 Smoked ham hock
3 Sprigs thyme, fresh
3 Bay leaves
1 Tbl Oil, lard
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish and Sides
2 Cups Rice (ratio of water to rice – 1.5 cups to 1 cup for Bastmanti Rice
1/2 tsp of salt for each cup of rice)
Hot sauce to taste (Louisiana or Crystal)
Green onion, or parsley to top off the dish

Directions

Soak beans in water. Dissolve 2 Tbl of salt in the water. Let sit overnight; or at least a minimum of 2 hours.
Choose whether or not to drain and rinse the beans. Set aside (See Note Below)
Finely dice celery, onions, and bell pepper. Set aside.
Add oil to a large dutch oven. Heat andouille sausage in the dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned for about 5 minutes.
Add veggies (onion, celery, bell pepper) to the dutch oven. Drizzle in some salt. Stir and cook until translucent. about 8 minutes.
Add garlic and stir. Cook for a minute
Add dry ingredients; (heavy on the pepper), sage, and cayenne.
Add ham hock, thyme, and bay leaves.
Add beans and enough water to cover over 2 inches
Bring to a boil for 10 to 15 minutes – then lower to a very light simmer
Cook until beans are tender. Check the beans for tenderness around 1 1/2 hours.
Remove ham hock from the pan. Remove any meat still attached. Place back into the dutch oven.
Plate, Garnish, and Finish the Dish
Ladle the red beans into your plate. Ladle some rice on top of the red beans. (Rice can be prepared any time while the Red beans are cooking.)
Top off your dish with green onion or chopped parsley.
Time to serve! Enjoy!

Notes

From the Rancho Gordo Website they mention that there is some current thought that you should not drain your beans after soaking. Here is what they say; “Add the beans and their soaking water to a large pot. You have been told before to change the water and rinse the beans. The thinking now is that vitamins and flavor can leach out of the beans into the soaking water you are throwing down the sink. There is conflicting scientific evidence that changing the water cuts down on the gas. If you want to, do it. If it seems unnecessary, don’t.” I have tried this method and loved the results!