Red Beans and Rice ala Daley Plate

Saturday, February 4, 2023

Red Beans and Rice

Servings: 10

Prep time: 15

Cook time: 2.5

Fresh Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
1 rib celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons garlic paste (4-6 fresh cloves)
1 lb Andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced
1 1/2 lbs smoked turkey wing pieces (About 1 wing - usually in the meat aisle)

Pantry Ingredients:

1 lb package red kidney beans
2 fresh bay leaves
10-12 cups light chicken stock or water
1-2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Serve with:

Cooked rice

Chopped green onion

Cornbread is absolutely necessary.

Instructions:

Rinse and soak your beans overnight. If you forget…. Bring a tea kettle filled with water to boil and pour over the beans and soak for 1 hour. Drain, rinse and set aside.

In a Dutch oven, over medium high heat - add the butter, onions, celery, and bell pepper. Saute for 5-10 minutes until the onions are softening, then add the garlic, cook for 1 more minute, then add the sliced sausage pieces. Cook until you see some browning on the sausage pieces.

Add the beans, bay leaves, stock, turkey wing and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the head to medium. (you CAN put this in a 200 degree oven for the next 2 hours, lid off). Stir occassionally and be sure to add water to just covering the beans. I prefer to leave the lids off, as this boiling action is what will help break down the beans into a creamy texture. The stock, sausage, and smoked wing should provide enough salt to flavor but not break down the beans at this point into mush.

After 2 hours, remove the turkey wing, pull any meat off of the bone, and separate into stringy small pieces, then discard the bones along with the bay leaves. If you wish, you can use a potato masher to gently break more of the beans down. Bring the heat down to low.

Add the seasonings, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes: This is the best red beans and rice I have ever had and the credit totally belongs to The Daley Plate, her food is fantastic and this dish is the FOREVER Red Beans and Rice.No need to look any further. Be warned though, this makes a sh**ton and you can either roll with that and eat it for a week, have a party of 10 over to finish it all at once, or eat it twice and freeze the rest for a quick meal when you are tired and cranky and need some comfort food.

Tinks Kitchen