Tag: rice

Cajun Style Beans and Rice Recipe

Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

1 pound pinto beans
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon (vegetable oil)
1 pound cooked andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch slices
(alternately use other sausages like Kielbasa)
1 large onion, finely chopped (about 12 ounces)
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped (about 8 ounces)
4 ribs celery, finely chopped (about 8 ounces)
4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ground cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
Freshly ground black pepper
1 smoked ham hock (optional)
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3 bay leaves

Hot sauce to taste
Cider vinegar, to taste (optional)

Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

  1. Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups (1.5L) cold water. Add 2 tablespoons (30g) kosher salt and stir until dissolved. Set aside at room temperature for 8 to 16 hours. Drain and rinse.
  2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat until oil shimmers.
  3. Add andouille sausage and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery.
  5. Season with salt and cook, stirring, until vegetables have softened and are just starting to brown around the edges, about 8 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 45 seconds.
  7. Add cayenne pepper, sage, and a generous 10 to 12 grinds of fresh black pepper.
  8. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  9. Add beans, along with enough water to cover by about 2 inches (roughly 6 to 8 cups), ham hock (if using), thyme, and bay leaves.
  10. Bring to a boil and reduce to a bare simmer. Cover and cook until beans are completely tender, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Older beans can take longer.)
  11. Remove lid and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has thickened and turned creamy, about 20 minutes.
  12. If the pot starts to look dry before the stew turns creamy, add a cup of water and continue simmering. Repeat as necessary until desired level of creaminess is achieved.
  13. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems.
  14. Season to taste with hot sauce, a few teaspoons of cider vinegar (if using), and more salt and pepper.

For best texture, let cool and refrigerate overnight. Reheat the next day, adding a little water to loosen to desired consistency. In other words, the leftovers get better, just make some fresh cooked rice to go with.

Serve red beans over steamed white rice.

 

How to Cook Rice

Here are two standard methods for cooking rice:

Method 1 – Boiled Rice

  1. Per cup ( 8 oz / 200 g) of uncooked rice, bring to a boil in a large saucepan 2 cups (16 oz / 500 ml) of water
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
  3. Slowly pour rice in
  4. Then stir lightly, then cover the pot
  5. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes

Method 2 – Par-Boil Rice

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of fat (such as oil or butter) in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Pour in 1 cup (8 oz / 200 g) of uncooked rice, stir around to coat, and cook until rice turns a bit transparent, about 5 minutes. (Optional: for a nuttier tasting rice, brown the kernels a bit by cooking them a bit longer until they just start to brown.)
  3. Slowly pour in 2 cups (16 oz / 500 ml) of already boiling water from the kettle, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt if desired, cover, and then cook for 15 minutes.
  • For either method:

If all the water has gone but the rice is not yet tender, add a few tablespoons of boiling water, cover and cook a bit more; if water has remained but the rice is cooked, remove cover and cook a minute or two uncovered to allow water to evaporate until the water is gone.

Miscellaneous rice cooking tips

  • Don’t stir rice while it is cooking, as stirring it will make it sticky. (Risotto is the exception: you want it sticky.)
  • The wider the mouth on your pot, the better your rice will cook.
    If you have storage space for a rice steamer, they are inexpensive, and take all the stress out of cooking rice.
  • When reheating leftover rice in a microwave, add 1 teaspoon of water per cup (150 g / 4 oz) of cooked, leftover rice.
  • To make a soup thicker, throw in a few handfuls of leftover cooked rice towards the end.

25 LBS Rice is 275 servings of cooked rice
1 Pound uncooked = 11 servings cooked

Smoky Chipotle Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 cup Rice
2 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 pound Sausage (about 4 links), casings removed
1 medium Onion, diced
2 ribs Celery, thinly sliced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 tablespoon Chipotle Seasoning* (see below)
1/3 cup white wine
1 jar black bean chili starter
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Preparation

Serves 4-6

  • Heat a large, deep skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat.
  • Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
  • When the oil shimmers, add sausage, breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
  • Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the juices run clear. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate.
  1. In the same skillet, add onion, celery, garlic, and chipotle seasoning.
  2. Cook until translucent and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Remove the skillet from the heat and add white wine (optional) to the pan, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
  4. Return the skillet to the head and add the black bean chili Starter, black beans, and the reserved cooked sausage. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and serve over the prepared rice.

 

*Chipotle Seasoning Ingredients (makes about 8 measures for this recipe)

1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile pepper
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika (smoked paprika if available)
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican Oregano if available)
½ teaspoon seasoned salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper