I recently had a hankerin' for some down-home, to-die-for, simmer-all-day-long, kick-yer-butt beans and rice. I perused cookbooks and settled on a recipe: Salt pork, tomato sauce, crockpot.Blyech! I ended up with a giant pot of bland beans to serve over over bland rice.
I grumbled about it on Facebook, and it paid off BIG time. My friend Carla is thankfully on good terms with her ex (my friend also), Bruce. Cajun Bruce! Misplaced-in-the-Midwest Bruce.
Bruce delivered!
1 lb red beans—soak overnight.
Disgard water and add beans to crockpot.
Add:
2 c. chopped celery
2 c. chopped onion
1-2 green peppers, chopped
2 bay leaves (a must!)
2 (at least!) cloves of fresh garlic
salt
water
Let it cook all day with plenty of liquid, until, as Bruce says, "everything breaks up into a sludge of unidentifiable ingredients." Add smoked sausage and simmer a little longer.
Serve over rice with shallots/green onions and Louisiana red sauce or Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning.
This really hits the spot!
