Okay, so this is completely weird and not exactly the topic I had in mind...but it just sort of won't get out of my head. So, yeah...I've been thinking about beans.
I wouldn't say it defines the Cajun cuisine. It's a part of it...but not nearly as much as seafood, rice, and grease gravy. And truthfully, I don't hardly remember my momma cooking beans much at all...except for lima beans...which we always called "butter beans." To this day, no holiday is complete without BayouGranny's butter beans...or her chocolate walnut brownies for that matter. :)
And sure there's the green bean...prepared with salt meat and chopped onions...but that's not the bean that's been on my mind.
Fast forward to the kidney bean...
I was first introduced to it at Nicholls State in the campus cafeteria. Or Popeyes. I noticed that it was served every Monday...religiously. I had no idea why...until my dorm suite neighbor, eventual roommate, educated me on this New Orleanean tradition.
"It is an old custom from the time when ham was a Sunday meal and Monday was washday. A pot of beans could sit on the stove and simmer while the women were busy scrubbing clothes." -Wikipedia
So there I was, in Thibodaux, LA, somewhere in between my Cajun hometown and the Creole heartland. And every Monday, like clockwork...so was the kidney bean.
Before I married and lived on my own, I never dared try to prepare it. It was unfamiliar to my mother's kitchen...and ONLY to be found in her infamous chili. But once I had a hard working man to feed, I knew I had to learn to cook more than hot dogs and spaghetti.
So one shopping day...I found it...
in a box.
Directions: just add sausage.
It was great! It came with its own rice and spices! That's great...
right?
*sigh*
Boy, did I EVER have a lot to learn!
Looking back, it is amusing. I was so proud to serve it to my sweet husband. He ate it with a smile...while his eyes watered. I'm guessing now...that those probably weren't tears of joy.
Thankfully, my cooking skills did evolve and I was introduced to Blue Runners Red Beans by a sweet lady who used to work at my school. She made a dish called Red Bean Gumbo that really wasn't "gumbo" at all. But oh so much more delicious than what was in that box. That dreaded box. Never again would it go for a ride in my shopping cart.
Her recipe was so easy for a rookie such as I: large can of Blue Runner Red Beans, sausage, Tony's...and chicken broth in a crock pot. From that day on, I have never cooked my beans on a stove and
always use some broth to cook them down with.
always use some broth to cook them down with.
Not sure who introduced me to hamhocks...but WOW. Just WOW.
As my confidence in the kitchen was building, I ventured out to the dried beans aisle and tossed a bag of kidney beans into my buggy.
They made it home...but sat in the pantry for a long while.
Soak or not to soak...that was the question? I've tried it both ways...can't say I tasted a difference.
Didn't change the recipe...still added Tony's, chicken broth, and now hamhocks. Beautiful. Deliciously beautiful.
So, there I was...39 years old and absolutely beyond the shadow of a doubt convinced that I had in fact found the PERFECT formula...whether the beans be dried or canned. This was it. I slept peacefully.
my mother outdid me. Lol!
The little Cajun lady that I lived with for nearly 19 years who NEVER cooked red beans and rice...went and "invented" her own recipe. I'm sure she succeeded on her first try. I'm certain about that because she cooked it again at my father's request. :)I had the pleasure of eating the "beans of her labor" on her second try. She is amazing. I hope it's genetic.
So, if you noticed...if you really were paying attention to detail...you will see that I have in fact changed my favorite canned bean from Blue Runners to Van Camps New Orleans Style. Not that I don't like Blue Runners...I do. The key word here is "favorite."
And if you were kind enough to sit patiently and read entirely through this strange, yet (hopefully) slightly entertaining saga of me and the bean...your reward is her recipe. I know that I should lock it up...hide it away to only be enjoyed by those who have had the great pleasure of watching her hover over a hot stove and create masterpieces for the mouth.
But I just can't.
But I just can't.
Cause it's not about the recipe. I mean...it is...but it isn't.
Mary's Red Beans
Ingredients:
chopped onions (about a cup)
chopped celery (not too much)
chopped bell peppers (not too much)
minced garlic (teaspoon)
little bit of cooking oil
1 can of mild Rotel
1 pound of Hillshire Polenski Sausage
3 cans of Van Camps New Orleans Style Kidney Beans
a little ketchup *optional*
a little sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste
a little bit of roux (teaspoon or more)
NOTE: Surprisingly, my little Cajun momma does not make her own roux. She buys it ready-made, stores it in the fridge, and uses it as needed.
Saute' the onions, bell peppers, celery, and minced garlic in cooking oil. When it's cooked down, add the can of Rotel, the sausage, and the kidney beans.
While it's cooking, stir often and don't turn up the fire too high. Add the roux. Add ketchup, sugar, salt, and pepper suited to your taste.
Don't forget to make some rice to serve these delicious beans over.
NOTE: I plan to cook this soon...making only one modification. I'm going to saute' the onions, bell peppers, celery, and minced garlic on the stove...then transfer it to my crock pot. From there I'll add the other ingredients. I tend to be a little forgetful about stirring...so this works better for me. Eventually, I may switch the sausage for a ham hock. And then again...maybe I won't mess with perfection. :)
