When in Rome.....make southern food!

The kids go back to school tomorrow!  Okay, in my house, one kid goes back to school.    Hello sophomore year!  And, interestingly enough, one adult too.  Me!  Grad school, here I come!  Which translates to – ridiculously busy life, here I come!  Don’t worry, I won’t forget about you.  I will still need to eat after all and no amount of homework can keep me from trying new recipes and telling you all about them.  It’s what I love to do.  And actually, this will probably work out in your favor because I have a feeling I will welcome the opportunity to share freely without being constrained by research or potential grades.  J 

Anyway, I wanted to make something that would serve a dual purpose – be comfort food and provide leftovers for lunches and perhaps another dinner during the week.  I did not get this recipe from my homemade cookbook of magazine recipes.  Shocker, I know!  Actually, I pulled out an old, favorite cookbook of mine by Emeril.  Please tell me you didn’t just say Emeril who.  Okay, so if you’ve been living under a rock for the past quite a few years, Emeril Lagasse.  LOVE him!  BAM!  Anyway, I opened his Prime Time Emeril cookbook and thumbed through, looking for what I wanted.  Now, it should be noted that this cookbook houses one of my all-time favorite Emeril recipes and I have made it many, many times.  So many times, in fact, that I really should know it by heart and the pages are covered with food splatters.  Now, that’s the sign of a well-worn recipe – when it’s covered in its own ingredients!  Hilda, his mother, makes an incredible stewed chicken and Emeril has shared it in this cookbook.  SO FLIPPIN GOOD!  But no, I did not make that tonight.  It’s nice to have favorites but I wanted to make something of his that I hadn’t made before.  Then, I found it.  The perfect recipe for tonight.  And, Strangely enough, one month ago today I made a different version of this recipe.  Last month it was Cooking Light; this month it’s “pork fat rules!” Red Beans and Rice.  ("Pork fat rules" is an Emerilism.)  Hey, I am in the south after all.  When in Rome….right?  Right.

Now, I know that this is not going to be as lean and healthy as the Cooking Light version but….sometimes you have to have the real thing and this is pretty much the real deal.  I mean, I even had to buy a ham hock!  Had no clue what a ham hock even was before I went to the store!  Fine, laugh if you want.  I can take it.  But, it definitely wasn’t hard to find – right in the meat section - and certainly didn’t break the bank.  Actually, I didn’t really have to buy too much for the recipe besides the beans, sausage and ham hock.  Everything else, I already had.  That’s a bonus when you’re on a budget. J  And, the other bonus about this recipe is that the simmering time TOTALLY outweighs the prep time.  So, what that means for you is only a small amount of work needs to be done before your house smells FABULOUS! 

The final result?  Um…DELICIOUS, of course!  I only have one warning.  This dish is a little salty.  Okay, it’s more than a little salty – the saltiness is noticeable, like on a saltine cracker.  Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m a fan of the salty.  But, I think this dish might have too much and it definitely comes from the ham hock (um, hello 1093 milligrams of sodium!).  I did use the teaspoon of salt but I used one quart of “no-salt” stock and one quart of “33% less sodium” stock.  Definitely use two quarts of “no-salt” stock and maybe drop the teaspoon of salt down to a ½ teaspoon.  Yes, the ham hock does add that much salt.  But, even with the salt, it was fabulous and not very spicy (if you want spicy, use spicy sausage and maybe some crushed red pepper, or you can just have some hot sauce at the table) and Thing 2, when asked how it was, nodded her head and said, “mmph mm mmmpph!” No, it’s not a new language – she had her mouth full!  But, I got the idea – she meant, “Bam!”  J  I guarantee husband will wish he had not been at work.  Thank goodness for leftovers!

Comfort food.  So comforting and delicious.  If you like red beans and rice, you will like this recipe.  So, what are you waiting for?  Start soaking those beans!

Happy cooking, eating and drinking!

YUM!

Red Beans and Rice

1 pound dried red beans

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped yellow onions

½ cup chopped green bell peppers

2 tablespoons minced garlic

½ pound andouille or other spicy smoked sausage, cut into ¼-inch slices

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Emeril’s Original Essence

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 bay leaves

One 1-pound ham hock

2 to 2 ½ quarts chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Hot, cooked rice

1.  In a colander, rinse the beans under cold running water.  Discard any broken beans or pebbles.  Transfer the beans to a large bowl and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches.  Soak for at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Or, bring the beans and enough water to cover by 2 inches to a boil in a large pot over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover tightly; let stand for 1 hour.

been soaking all night!

2.  Heat the oil in a large heavy stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add the onions, bell peppers, and garlic and cook, stirring often, about 4 minutes.  Add the sausage, salt, Essence, cayenne, black pepper, thyme, and bay leaves.  Cook, stirring often, until the sausage is browned, about 4 minutes.  Add the ham hock and cook for 2 minutes.

3.  Drain the beans and add to the pot.  Pour in enough stock to cover by about 1 inch.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender, about 2 hours.  Remove and discard the bay leaves.

simmer, simmer, simmer away!

4.  Mash about one-fourth of the bean mixture against the side of the pot with a heavy spoon to thicken the juices.  Remove the ham hock.  Let cool slightly.  Slice the meat from the bone, discarding the skin and bones.  Return the meat to the pot and heat through.

5.  Spoon the rice into bowls and top with the beans.