Louisiana Red Beans & Rice

Everyone is Louisiana has a special way they cook their red beans and rice. This is a classic dish that is eaten on a regular basis in Southern Louisiana. This is the way Helon cooked the beans and I continue to cook the same way.


This is a dish I served many times on Super Bowl Sunday. It is easy to cook, you don't have to hang in the kitchen, and it feeds extra people that drop by.


I serve my beans and rice with a green salad and french bread. Sometimes I make cornbread to go with the beans and rice, so I will add a corn bread recipe also.


Enjoy.

Red Beans & Rice

1 ham bone

1/2 lb cubed

1 lb dried red/kidney beans( I use the small but the large are more traditional)

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup chopped green onions top and bottoms

1/4 cup chopped green pepper

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp of basil

2 bay leaves

1/4 butter(no margine substituted)

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Cooked long grain white rice

1 lb smoked sausage.

Place beans in a heavy pot, (now this is where you need to have that cast iron dutch oven) with enough water to cover, bring to a rolling boil for 3 minute, then let soak overnight in the same water. In the morning, bring beans to a boil and add remaining ingredients, except for the rice. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours. The ham bone is very important for the flavor. Beans will become very creamy, most will remain whole. Add cold water as needed. Serve over rice. Garnish with the smoked sausage. (I also add the sausage to the beans for about 1 before the beans are done. Get that smoky taste going.)

Southern Cornbread

1 egg

1 1/3 cups milk or 1 3/4 cups of buttermilk

1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening

2 cups White self-rising corn meal mix

Preheat oven to 450. Grease a 9- inch cast iron skillet or baking pans place in oven to heat. beat egg in mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients, stir until smooth. Batter should be creamy and pourable. If batter seems to thick, add a little more more liquid. Pour batter in prepared pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 6-8 servings.


For a crowd, I double the recipe and bake in corn stick molds. (as soon as my scanner is working I will scan a picture of the corn sticks.)


Check Helons Store for the corn stick molds.

Hot Water Corn Bread

Actually we called this hot water bread. For those of you not familiar with this term, you may have heard of "corn pone". The name is irrelevant, it is the bread itself that is something unique and special and definitely "Southern Cooking" at its very basic. My Mother would mix this up, and since it was boiling water, she kept a bowl of cold water next to her mixing bowl, because she would pat the bread out into ovals about 2 x 3 inches. Remember the mix is with boiling water. Very important, not hot, but boiling.
Then it was into the black iron skillet, (a must have for southern cooking) that had about 1/2 of oil, sometimes Crisco or left over bacon fat. These patties would fry on medium until they were golden and crunchy on the outside, and fluffy on the inside Not greasy at all. My Grandmother called these "poor mans bread" since the ingredients are cornmeal, salt, and water. Everyone in the South, had these items in their pantry even in the leanest of times during the depression.
As simple as this sounds there is quite a trick to it. You have to pour the right amount of boiling water on the first pour because the meal will be lumpy if you don't get it wet enough at the first.
Adding water makes the mush lumpy. The mixture will look like mush when it is mixed right.
These will be so crunchy on the outside but light and fluffy on the inside. Great with peas and pot likker.
Truly easy and very deep south country food. I don't make these as much since we all have to get on that "Healthy" not fat, No grease program, but when I do make them, I make field peas, with okra and ham, corn on the cob, turnip greens, smothered tomatoes.
Try this you may surprise yourself at how good, something so simple can be.
I also eat these cold, but they are better hot.

Hot Water Corn Bread

2 cups self rising white cornmeal

1/2 tsp salt

2 cups of boiling water

Put water in boiler and bring to roiling boil. At the same time, about half fill heavy iron skillet with cooking oil, and set on medium heat. Mix meal and salt, when water comes to full rolling boil, begin pouring over cornmeal, stirring while you pour. When well mixed and thin enough to form patties, *turn heat to high under skillet, dip hands in cold water, and form patties of the cornmeal mixture. Make sure oil is very hot when you put patties in. If they crumble in the oil, it is not hot enough. When brown on one side, turn and brown on the other , drain on paper towel when removed from skillet.

*I have given the recipe as it is written, but you need to turn down to medium high once the patty sets(meaning it isn't crumbling in the grease) Cooked on medium, will take 15 minutes or a little more. You only turn once.

Southern Cooking is easy, don't you think?