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If I say “Mardi Gras” (continuing through Feb. 18) chances are I can guess the first place that comes to your mind. New Orleans, also known as the “Big Easy,” is far enough away to be a bit of a mystery for many in Big Sky Country. I’ve been there a few times, and it’s always a great reminder of how culturally rich and diverse our country is.
The food is reason enough to go. It has some of the most unique dishes in all of America, the legacies of Native American, French, West African, Spanish and other peoples who met and mixed in one of North America’s major trading areas. One of my favorite dishes from New Orleans is a simple and affordable staple: red beans and rice. It has become one of my family’s preferred save-for-later meals to pop into the freezer for the busy weeks ahead.
Red beans and rice is a rich, smoky, hearty dish made of humble ingredients. One foundational element of this classic is the use of the Creole “trinity” of onion, celery and green bell pepper. While the recipe’s volume of these vegetables may initially surprise you, they reduce and become the basis of the flavorful sauce, almost melting away in the cooking process.
Pork is another key ingredient, bringing fat to flavor the veggies, smoke, and richness. In my recipe, bacon, ham hock and andouille sausage bring their individual goodness to the dish. Garlic is present, but not overpowering. The ever-important seasoning of thyme plays a cameo role, and it wouldn’t be a New Orleans dish without some hot sauce. The long-grain rice is there as a filling starch that soaks up the tasty sauce.
This recipe I’ve developed over the years comes in handy as a freezer meal on those evenings when hunger is real, but minimal prep is desired. You make the beans and sauce to be frozen, and fry up the andouille and make the rice the night you dine. I prefer this method, rather than tossing the sausage in to cook with the beans, so the sausage keeps a crisp char.
This recipe makes at least three or four meals for my small family, but it could be just one meal if you have a lot of mouths to feed. I recommend making extra and tucking the leftovers away in the freezer to enjoy next time.
16-ounce bag of small dried red beans
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large green bell pepper, finely diced
3 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 strips of bacon
2 14.5 fluid-ounce cans of low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 smoked ham hock
1 tsp dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp red Tabasco sauce
Andouille sausage
Optional: fresh parsley and scallion
Serves: 8-10 people
Wash and rinse your dry red beans and allow them to soak overnight with a 3 to 1 ratio of water to beans.
The next day, finely chop the six strips of bacon and start to sauté on medium heat in a very large pot or Dutch oven. Chop your onions, green bell pepper and celery and add to the pot once the bacon fat has begun to render. Add some salt and pepper. Sweat the veggies, stirring every few minutes, until they become soft. Add the minced garlic, thyme, bay leaves and ham hock, and cook for another five minutes.
Drain the beans and add to the pot along with the chicken broth and water. Increase the heat until it reaches a boil. Cover with a lid and drop the temperature to low. The beans will need to cook for two to three hours until they’re soft. Check their texture after two hours. They should be soft throughout, but still mostly hold their shape. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco and then taste, adding salt and pepper as needed or increasing the spice level with more Tabasco.
If you’ll be freezing it, allow the beans to cool to room temperature first. Remove the bay leaves and ham hock. Using about a ladle and a half per portion, add the beans to freezer-safe containers and freeze. For serving, reheat the beans (you might add a bit of water and re-check your seasoning levels), cook some long-grain rice, sauté some sliced andouille, and serve it all together topped with chopped parsley and/or scallion.
The post A taste of Mardis Gras in Montana appeared first on Montana Free Press.
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