USVI-On-Line

nothintolose - do you have a good recipe for red beans and rice?

This is the one I use as a guideline, the last time I did them, I used low sodium chicken broth in place of the water.

I am bummed because I made an awesome batch right before Gustav and had two extra containers in the freezer (along with a container of my chicken/sausage gumbo) and lost them due to no power for 5 days.

RED BEANS AND RICE

· 1 pound red kidney beans, dry
· 1 large onion, chopped
· 1 bell pepper, chopped
· 5 ribs celery, chopped
· As much garlic as you like, minced (I like lots, 5 or 6 cloves)
· 1 lg. smoked ham hock, 3/4 pound of Creole-style pickle meat (pickled pork), or 3/4 lb. smoked ham, diced, for seasoning (I used ½ pack of ham seasoning that’s already cubed)
· 1 to 1-1/2 pounds mild or hot smoked sausage or andouille, sliced on the bias (I used 1 and ½ to two pounds)
· 1/2 to 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed
· 1 or 2 bay leaves
· Crystal hot sauce or Tabasco - to taste
· A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
· Creole seasoning blend (that’s Tony’s), to taste; OR,
o red pepper and black pepper to taste
· Salt to taste
· Fresh Creole hot sausage (didn’t use this)

Soak the beans overnight, if possible. The next day, drain and put fresh water in the pot. (This helps reduce the flatulence factor.)

Bring the beans to a rolling boil. Make sure the beans are always covered by water, or they will discolor and get hard. Boil the beans for about 45 - 60 minutes, until the beans are tender but not falling apart. Drain.

While the beans are boiling, sauté the Trinity (onions, celery, bell pepper) until the onions turn translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

After the beans are boiled and drained, add the sautéed vegetables to the beans, then add the ham hock (or ham or pickle meat), seasonings, and just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 2 hours at least, preferably 3, until the whole thing gets nice and creamy. Adjust seasonings as you go along. Stir occasionally, making sure that it doesn't burn and/or stick to the bottom of the pot.

If the beans are old -- say, older than six months to a year -- they won't get creamy. If it's still not getting creamy, take 1 or 2 cups of beans out and mash them, then return them to the pot and stir.

About 1/2 hour before you are done cooking add the cut up smoked sausage.

If you can ... let the beans cool, stick them in the fridge, and reheat and serve for dinner the next day. They'll taste a LOT better.

YIELD: 8 servings

Good luck!!!

you should have taken them with you! at least you would have eaten well

mbw1024 wrote:I got it from here:
http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com/2008/ ... up_02.html

I added some bay leaves, dried basil and some parmesan rinds to the soup. I also took out a couple of ladel fulls and ran it through the blender to make it a little on the creamy side.

Do you do your version with Taylor pork roll?

Cheers, RickG

Rick, if I did it would be Taylor Ham. Don't be silly!

Anyone want to come for dinner? I roasted a chicken and made Butternut Squash Risotto but Charlie hasn't even left work yet and he's over an hour away
This was supposed to be Sunday dinner but got postponed for a number of reasons.

mbw1024 wrote:Anyone want to come for dinner?

What's your address so I can tell the cab driver at the airport how to get to your house? YUM, that sounds SOOO good!

I won't make it in time for dinner but I would love the recipe!

never made a risotto before but it was easy

Saffron Risotto with Roasted Butternut Squash
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa Family Style
Note: If you can’t find pancetta (an Italian smoked bacon), you can substitute regular bacon. Vegetarians could leave it out altogether. Also, saffron can be quite pricey, but Trader Joe’s sells small jars of it for a very reasonable price.
1 butternut squash (~2 lbs)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock (vegetarians could use vegetable stock)
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup minced shallots (~2 large)
2 ounces pancetta
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup Parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Peel the butternut squash. I’ve found the easiest way to do this is to separate the squash into two parts: the straight, upper shaft and the lower bulbous portion. Stand the top part upright and, beginning at the top, slice downward to peel the squash. Cut the bulbous portion in half, scoop out the seeds and peel in the same fashion as the top portion.
Chop the squash into 3/4″ cubes (you should have ~6 cups). Spread the squash on a sheet pan and toss it with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once, until very tender. Set aside.
Meanwhile, pour the chicken stock into a small saucepan and cover it will a lid. Bring the stock to a simmer, then reduce heat to low to keep it simmering.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the pancetta and shallots on medium-low heat for 10 minutes, until the shallots are translucent but not browned. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains with the butter. Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
Add 2 full ladles of the simmering stock to the rice, along with the saffron, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir, and simmer until the stock is absorbed, about 5 minutes or so. Continue to add the stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring every few minutes. Each time, cook until the mixture seems a little dry, then add more stock. Continue until the rice is cooked through, but still al dente, about 30 minutes total. You may not end up using all the stock; keep tasting and checking as you reach the 30 minute mark.
Off the heat, add the roasted squash cubes and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and mangia!
Yield: 4-6 servings

mbw1024 wrote:I got it from here:
http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com/2008/ ... up_02.html

I added some bay leaves, dried basil and some parmesan rinds to the soup. I also took out a couple of ladel fulls and ran it through the blender to make it a little on the creamy side.

MaryBeth, this soup sounded so good I made a pot of it tonight for dinner. I increased the lentils to 1 1/2 cups and used my immersion blender to thicken it a little. We had crusty wheat bread and a salad with it. RickG had two bowls! Thanks for the tip. My Le Creuset is red!

Cheers,
Christine

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Eh ... 0ZIA"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/cjbrier/SOq8emuT4T ... p.jpg"></a>

Glad you liked it! I agree I would increase the lentils next time. I don't have an immersion so I went regular blender route. We are having it tomorrow.

The risotto looks amazing. I hope Charlie hustled home! I'm glad you tried a risotto dish, they are not hard, you just have to stand over them, can't walk away. My local Stop and Shop sometimes has cubed butternut squash. It's more expensive but I grab it when I see it because it makes it so much easier. I saw a recipe for butternut squash lasanga while waiting on the check out line, I'm planning on it for the first cousre on Turkey day, but I need to give it a dry run first, more about that later. Can you beleive it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving already!

He made it home around 9:30 (had left the house at 5am). He ate it but I think his eyes were closed

I can get the cubes squash too. I love it. Your lasagna sounds yummy. I'm already planning Thanksgiving in my head too

I did a roasted butternut squash lasagna as a first course for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago, and it was a huge hit. The recipe was in a cookbook called Sara Moulton cooks at home. I can dig out the recipe if anyone wants it.

MaryBeth, that risotto looks really good. How was the saffron flavor? Sometimes I find saffron overwhelming, so I have not made that recipe yet (I think it is one of the only things I have NOT cooked from BC family style!)

My le crueset color is flame. I LOVE it. This is a picture of the medium dutch oven. The food in it is the beginning of a compote I made up Sunday night. I threw a bunch of stuff together and have no idea if it is going to taste good! I'm serving it tomorrow with roasted garlic sausages and a vegtarian cassoulet:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2920869297/" title="plum confit by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3066/292 ... 2112f3.jpg" width="500" height="409" alt="plum confit"></a>


I have been on a wicked pasta kick lately. Maybe because of the cold weather? Here are some recent ones. Spaghetti and meatballs. I used the raos recipe for the meatballs, but made them with turkey instead of beef/pork/veal:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2920869169/" title="spaghetti and meatballs by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3101/292 ... 9e3110.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="spaghetti and meatballs"></a>


here is another one, from Friday, I think. Penne with farmers market spicy sausage, fresh mozzarella and arugula:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2916388760/" title="penne with farmers market sausage and arugula by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/291 ... c41472.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="penne with farmers market sausage and arugula"></a>


Sunday I made the spicy olive cod again. I love this dish and it only takes 20 minutes:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2915542485/" title="October 5 cod pomodoro by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/291 ... 3c1143.jpg" width="500" height="394" alt="October 5 cod pomodoro"></a>

Speaking of Barefoot Contessa Family Style, on Saturday I made her recipe for mashed turnips with crispy shallots to go with roast chicken:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28539958@N00/2916388154/" title="mashed turnips with shallots by liamsaunt, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2234/291 ... 11a580.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="mashed turnips with shallots"></a>

your pastas always look so good! I made the cod dish last week but I used sea bass. very good. it was a hit.

I don't mind Saffron - I love the color. So I liked it. You could leave it out I guess. Or replace the color with tumeric.

I think I found the Sara Moutlon recipe on line, it called for rosemary... but I'm thinking sage might be better.