Comforting red beans and rice

Southern Living, Mar 2002 by Zacharia, Joy

This simple, satisfying dish is synonymous with home cooking in New Orleans.

I was somewhat apprehensive-okay, downright terrified-to write an article on red beans and rice, knowing how persnickety New Orleans folks are about their native dishes. But after chatting with food experts and home cooks, I learned that no two recipes are alike.

"In New Orleans, you come out of the womb instinctually knowing how to cook red beans and rice. Really, only the nervous newlywed follows a recipe," says Poppy Tooker, a Louisiana native who is one of four U.S. international governors of Slow Food, an Italy-based organization dedicated to preserving world food traditions.

There's more to this dish than beans, though. For some cooks, ham hocks, andouille sausage, or bacon are a must; for others, it's pickled or salt pork.

Food writer Marcelle Bienvenu, who has collaborated with Emeril Lagasse on several cookbooks and who edits the cooking section of his Web site, says, "Some people like to serve fried pork chops with the red beans and rice; others omit the smoked sausage in the pot but serve a link of sausage with the red beans. Everyone has his or her version, depending on family traditions."

Southern Living Lifestyle Editor and New Orleans native Majella Chube Hamilton uses smoked turkey to give her red beans their characteristic flavor, while her mom, Merion Chube, sticks to smoked sausage and, sometimes, ham hocks. "It's not a seasoning I use often," Merion says, "but when I visit family in Indianapolis, I know my sonin-law and his dad like my red beans cooked with smoked ham hocks."

Nobody knows exactly when the dish was born: "Red beans have been ingrained in the New Orleans landscape for about 200 years," Poppy says. It is well known that Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong loved them. In a letter to a fellow New Orleanian, Armstrong wrote, "It really shouldn't be any problem at all for you to figure out my favorite dish. We all were brought up eating the same thing, so I will tell you: Red Beans and Rice with Ham Hocks is my birthmark."

We should all be so lucky.

JOY ZACHARIA

PLACE kidney beans in a Dutch oven. Cover with water 2 inches above beans, and let soak 8 hours. Drain beans; rinse thoroughly, and drain again.

SAUTE bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 5 minutes. Add smoked sausage and salt pork; saute 5 minutes or until sausage is golden brown. Add garlic and next 3 ingredients; saute 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

STIR in beans, broth, 2 cups water, and next 3 ingredients; bring to a boil. Boil 15 minutes; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 3 hours or until beans are tender. Remove salt pork before serving. Serve over rice. Prep: 30 min.; Soak: 8 hrs.; Cook: 3 hrs., 30 min.

NOTE: For quick soaking, place kidney beans in a Dutch oven; cover with water 2 inches above beans, and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute; cover, remove from heat, and let stand 1 hour. Drain and proceed with recipe.