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!

Side Dish – (Recipe Below)

The recipe for Red Beans and Rice is not very complex. It does take a little planning if you want your red beans to soak overnight. There are other methods of preparing the beans, however, I think you achieve a better result if you let the beans soak overnight (about 12 hours). This dish is actually 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. Don’t forget to use the Camelia Style Brand for red beans. I’m told by those that know, that Camelia is the perfect brand of beans for this dish.

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. So Good! You can find my recipe here. Don’t forget to have some bread nearby so that you can dip a slice in all the buttery goodness!

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

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Recipe by David Frank – Spending Time In My Kitchen

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hours

minutes

Soaking Time

hours

Ingredients

1 lb 1 Red kidney beans, (Louisiana Camelia Brand)
1 lb 1 Andouille sausage, cut into small coins
1 lg 1 Onion, finely diced
1 1 Bell pepper, finely diced
3 3 Celery ribs, finely diced
1 tsp 1 Cayenne, or cajun seasoning to taste
1 tsp 1 Sage
1 1 Smoked ham hock
3 3 Sprigs thyme, fresh
3 3 Bay leaves
1 Tbl 1 Oil, lard
Salt and pepper to taste
Garnish and Sides
2 Cups 2 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 8 hours.
Drain and rinse the beans. Set aside
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 beans and enough water to cover over 2 inches
Add ham hock, thyme, and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil – then lower to a light simmer
Cook until beans are tender. The time will be anywhere from 2 to 3 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 red beans with green onion or chopped parsley.
Time to serve! Enjoy!