Something about the Thames bursting its banks for the second time in six months put me in the mood for one of the Big Easy’s most famous exports today. Like all of my favorite southern foods, this one required a little bit of fiddling to compensate for ingredients that aren’t easy to find here in Blighty. This recipe, modified from “The Joy of Cooking”, isn’t the best I’ve ever made – not saucy enough. But it was easy and in my experience there is no such thing as bad red beans and rice.

Expat Red Beans & Rice

Soak 1 lb dried red kidney beans overnight in cold water.

Combine in a large pot:

  • 8 c water
  • 1 large smoked ham hock (~2lbs, get these or ham bones from your butcher)
  • 1 c finely chopped celery
  • 1 c finely chopped onions
  • 1 c finely chopped green bell peppers
  • 3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours (until ham hock is tender). Remove the ham hock and let cool.

Drain the beans, add them to the pot, and return to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes to an hour (until beans are tender). Add water as needed to keep beans covered.

Remove the meat from the ham hocks and add it to the pot along with:

  • 1 lb smoked andouille or Polish sausage, sliced. (This was the biggest problem as these just don’t seem to exist in Britain. Chorizo, which is available here, would be a great substitute. But lacking that I tried grilled Lincolnshire sausages).

Warm through. Remove the bay leaves. Serve with cooked rice, French bread and generous Tabasco. Enjoy with some Crescent City funk..

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