Red beans and rice!
Next to soft-shelled crab, red beans and rice is probably my favorite Southern dish. Probably. I've been reading a great cookbook on the history of African American cooking called Jubilee by Toni Tipton-Martin; it's my favorite type of cookbook as it combines food with cultural history. I highly recommend it.
The ham shanks are hiding, but this is today's cast!
Instead of overnight, I soaked the red beans in the morning for about 5 hours.
The mirepoix, or as Emeril Lagasse called it, the trinity of bell pepper, onion and celery.
I actually bought some kitchen gloves for handling peppers! They came in handy today. I personally don't like dishes that are super spicy so I like to remove most of the seeds from fresh peppers. I usually run them under water while I strip out the seeds and the inner membrane.
The red chile and garlic were added to the sauteeing mirepoix.
The ham shanks, bay leaf and beans were added to the vegetables. I decided to add the beans and their soaking liquid rather than draining the beans and adding fresh water.
The mixture was brought to a boil, then the heat was reduced, I covered the pot and let it simmer for two hours.
I removed the shanks and when they had cooled, I stripped the meat off the bones and put the meat back in with the beans.
Add the chopped green onions and parsley and taste the mixture before adding salt and pepper. The beans can handle a fair amount of seasoning but the shanks add salt so definitely taste it first and add seasoning gradually.
I let the beans cool and then refrigerated overnight. That turned out to be a good choice as the beans continued to absorb liquid so they were creamier and the mixture was less soupy. Served it over rice and it was delish! The guys loved it, too, and I think it was a great dish for Eric to have after his first hike post-quarantine. I will definitely be making it again.
Here's the recipe!
The ham shanks are hiding, but this is today's cast!
Instead of overnight, I soaked the red beans in the morning for about 5 hours.
The mirepoix, or as Emeril Lagasse called it, the trinity of bell pepper, onion and celery.
I actually bought some kitchen gloves for handling peppers! They came in handy today. I personally don't like dishes that are super spicy so I like to remove most of the seeds from fresh peppers. I usually run them under water while I strip out the seeds and the inner membrane.
The red chile and garlic were added to the sauteeing mirepoix.
The ham shanks, bay leaf and beans were added to the vegetables. I decided to add the beans and their soaking liquid rather than draining the beans and adding fresh water.
The mixture was brought to a boil, then the heat was reduced, I covered the pot and let it simmer for two hours.
I removed the shanks and when they had cooled, I stripped the meat off the bones and put the meat back in with the beans.
Add the chopped green onions and parsley and taste the mixture before adding salt and pepper. The beans can handle a fair amount of seasoning but the shanks add salt so definitely taste it first and add seasoning gradually.
I let the beans cool and then refrigerated overnight. That turned out to be a good choice as the beans continued to absorb liquid so they were creamier and the mixture was less soupy. Served it over rice and it was delish! The guys loved it, too, and I think it was a great dish for Eric to have after his first hike post-quarantine. I will definitely be making it again.
Here's the recipe!
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