What We Ate Today...

This recipe is altered from the original, subbing some dried ingredients for fresh (hey, I could make some make-ahead mix!)

Washday Red Beans and Rice

Pick over and put in your biggest soup pot (5 qt?):
2 lbs of dried red kidney beans
Add water up to 1 inch of the top.

Put on medium-high flame until it boils; let boil for 2 minutes then turn off heat and let set for 1 hour. Drain beans in a colander set in a sink (discard gassy-water).

Put in biggest soup pot:
1/2 cup of dehydrated onion (or use 2 fresh onions, chopped)
1/2 cup of dehydrated green bell pepper (or use one fresh, chopped)
2 T dried parsley (or use a handful, chopped fine)
1 t dried garlic (or use 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped or pressed)
1 T salt
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 black pepper
1 T thyme
2 bay leaves
1 can of Spam, diced (or used 1/2 pound of diced, cooked ham)
2 T Worcestershire sauce (my own idea)

Add the hydrated kidney beans, and 3 quarts of water.

Simmer, covered, on the back burner all day (or use a crock pot). You can mash some beans if you want to.

About 30-40 minutes before you want to eat....

Make a pot of rice (I use a Japanese rice pot that keeps the rice perfect until I'm ready).

Slice or dice a package of Polska Kielbasa sausage, then brown it in a skillet.

Stir some of the browned sausage into the beans. If you have fussy kids, they might like some buttered rice served near (but not touching) the sausage, with a side of plain green beans (not touching rice or sausage).

Makes a ton of red beans. Often served with hot sauce. Serves 16? 20? At least.


-- Lynda