Cajun Red Beans & Rice

IngredientsTake the bacon and cut it into small pieces, add to a
- 1 pound of dried red beanslarge pre-heated pot. If you want the dish to be more
- 2 cups of chopped onions (white or yellow)spicy, add the chopped Tasso and cook for about 1-2
- 1 cup of chopped parsleyminutes.
- 1 teaspoon saltAdd the onions, salt, pepper and cayenne and cook for
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepperabout 4 minutes, or until the onions look caramelized.
- pinch of cayenne pepperAdd the sausage and parsley and cook until the
- 4 teaspoons of chopped garlicsausage is brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic
- 2 links of smoked sausage (cut in half and then cutand stir for another minute.
into ¾ inch pieces)Add the beans and chicken stock, bring to a boil.
- 3 strips of baconReduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered
- 10 cups of chicken stock (You can substitute water iffor 2-3 hours. Stir occasionally and to check to see if
you like, or use a half water half stock mixture)the beans are getting too thick, if so you may need to
- 4 cups of ricead water.
- ½ cup of chopped green onions for garnishing(I like my beans on the thick side and after about 1
- Sour cream for garnishing (This is strictly optional)½ -2 hours I take 1/3 of the beans out of the pot
Spicy add-ins; If you want the meal to be a little moreand mash them, then reinsert them into the pot.) Then I
spicy, add ½ cup of chopped Tasso, (a Cajunlet them cook for another ½ -1 hours.
sausage) and a little more cayenne pepper.Pre-cook the rice using the standard formula of 2 cups
Preparationof water or chicken stock, for 1 cup of rice, add about
In a large container, the night before you serve the1 teaspoon of salt if you use water, but do not add salt
meal, cover the beans with water, by about 2 inches.if you use chicken stock.
Let the beans soak overnight or for a minimum of 8-10Serve the beans & sausage mixture over a bed
hours.of warm rice and garnish as desired with the green
Drain the beans.onions and/or sour cream.