New Orleans Red Beans

I pinned this recipe last week and was happy I didn't wait to make it. We inhaled it. Miraculously Bret loved it too. Here's a link to it: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2006/02/real-louisiana-red-beans-and-rice.html#

I did change a bit. Here's my version:

• 1 pound dry red kidney beans
• 4 tsp minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 pieces celery
• 1 large bell pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke (instead of one of these she recommends 1-2 teaspoons chopped chipotle pepper, in adobo)
• 1 tablespoon salt or to taste
• cooked rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Cover the beans with water 2 inches over beans and soak overnight. Drain and rinse.
2. Put the beans back in the pot and cover them with water 2 inches above level of beans. Put over high heat to begin cooking while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Chop the garlic, onion, celery, and bell pepper very finely, and the fastest and best way to do this is in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the pot on the stove. Add the remaining ingredients, except the salt and the rice.
4. When the beans reach a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring every now and then, until they are completely tender and falling apart. This can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, depending upon the age of your beans. (Add more water as necessary to keep them hydrated.) When they are completely tender, add the salt to taste, and check the seasonings. Add any additional spices you want, and cook for at least 10 more minutes, until sauce is thick and beans are disintegrating. Remove the bay leaves, and serve over rice.

Notes

If your beans are old, they may never disintegrate, or at least not in time for dinner. What you have to do is take out a bunch of them, mash them up well, and add them back into the pot (or use a hand blender right in the pot). Then proceed as though they had fallen apart on their own.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 2 hour(s) 10 minute(s)