RED BEANS
Today is Monday, which translates to red beans and rice. In my head and stomach, Mondays were synonymous with red beans simmering on the stove while we washed clothes. The kidney bean is a southern Louisiana staple and also found in many other cultures and cuisines. For example, kidney beans are also used in a spicy Indian stew called rajma masala and in sweet dishes such as Asian ice cream and habichuelas con dulce (sweet cream of beans).
Red beans and rice is the perfect dish to devour while watching Monday nite Football. The Raiders vs. the Packers today. I am serving grilled baby back ribs, jalapeno cornbread, fried okra, and potato salad to complete the meal. 2 cups long grain rice,1 lb. red beans, butter, 2 smoked neck bones, 1 cup andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices, 1 cup brown onions, chopped, 2 celery stalks, chopped, 1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped, 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped, 2 T. salted butter or bacon drippings, 2 bay leaves, 6 garlic cloves, chopped, thyme, paprika, granulated garlic, salt and pepper, 2-3 green onions, chopped for garnish Pick through the beans to ensure there are no small pebbles or rocks. Pour the beans into a bowl, add 6-7 cups of water enough to cover the beans and 1 tablespoon of salt, set aside for 2-3 hours. The outer pigment of the beans will cause the water to turn a darkish red color; pour this water off. Get out a dutch oven add the neck bones. Add about 3 fingers of water over the neck bones. Turn heat to medium. While the meat is cooking, get out a skillet, add the bacon drippings or butter, onions, bell pepper, garlic cloves, and celery saute until the onions are translucent. Add the vegetables, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper to the pot. Drain and rinse the beans and add them 6 cups of water and 2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a rapid boil, reduce to a simmer and cover the pot. Put the sausage into a tray and broil until they brown, turn up on the edges, drain, and add them to the pot. Cook for at least an hour or until the beans are fork tender. Taste, adjust dry seasoning as needed. Cook for another 45 minutes, it’s time to taste again. Turn the heat up high, start the beans to boiling. You are boiling the beans to cause them to burst or what we call creaming the beans. Creaming the beans creates a gravy or a thickening of the liquid around the beans. During the last 15-17 minutes of cooking, take about 1/2 cp of beans out of the pot, add them to a bowl and mash them with a fork or a potato masher. Return them to the pot and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves taste, and adjust the dry seasonings to your taste. Cook the rice according to the package directions, set aside and fluff with a fork.
Cooking with Jacque Rose 
This sounds amazing will be my Sunday dinner with fried chicken wings and cornbread
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Please let me know how your beans come out.
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