Red Beans and Rice
I grew up on red beans and rice, those beans would be simmering on the stove at least once a week when I was a kid and my sister and I loved them. We never tired of them. I’m not sure what it is about kids that makes them so picky when it comes to food, I grew out of my picky eating (though I still don’t like peas), but my pea-loving sister is still a fairly picky eater, I use the word fairly very lightly here.
My mother never used andouille sausages in her red beans and rice, we were never a big meat eating family and my sister and I would have probably turned our noses up at any change from what we were used to. We probably thought that sausage was gross as well.
I had some andouille sausage in the fridge that needed to be used, so I decided to jazz up my mother’s recipe for red beans and rice with a little spice, accompanying it with mahatma’s yellow rice, which my husband loves and it brought some nice color to the dish.
Red Beans with Andouille Sausage
- 2 or 3 andouille sausages, cut into medallions and halved
- 2 15.5 oz cans of kidney beans, drained and rinse
- 1 15.5 oz can of peeled tomatoes
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- dash of tabasco, or to taste
- dash of creole seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Heat sausage in a heavy bottomed-pot over medium heat and allow them to release their fat and juices before adding the celery and onion. Sauté the celery and onion with the sausage for a few minutes, until they both become translucent.
Add 2 cans of kidney beans and tomatoes, bring to a simmer and stir well. Fill the tomato can with water and add to the pot, bring to a boil and lower the heat. Throw in creole seasoning and tabasco. Allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally to make sure that the beans don’t stick to the bottom.
Yellow Rice
- 1 5 oz. package of mahatma yellow rice
- 1 cup of white rice
- 4 cups of water
The yellow rice on its own is too strong for me, so I usually add an equal amount of white rice to balance out the flavor.
Bring rice to a boil, uncovered. When it reaches a boil, lower the heat and cover. Let steam for about 20 minutes or until rice is cooked through.
Serve immediately with red beans and a bottle of hot sauce.
Serves 4 or 2 with a ton of leftovers
Italicious 
Cucina povera at it’s best!