June 10, 2018
My plan was to grill some chicken thighs using an updated method and recipe. But we got a weekend of Rose Festival Rain. I have friends who are avid grillers and rain won’t slow them down. Me, I’m a take-what-nature-gives-me kind of guy. I had a pound of Rancho Gordo red beans in the pantry, so I whipped up some Red Beans and Rice.
I’ve raved about my experience with Rancho Gordo pinto beans. I bought a few more pounds of beans and have been looking for a chance to use them.
The night before I sorted through the beans (aren’t they gorgeous?)
and gave them a rinse (even prettier!).
I’ve made this plenty of times before so I won’t go into too many details here. My change this weekend was to use lard instead of bacon fat; lard sounds gross, but it’s really nice to use in the recipes that call for bacon fat. I recommend it.
Prepped and ready to cook
This can be cooked in a pressure cooker or on the stove top – I decided for stove top. Sauté the holy trinity of celery, green pepper, and onion until softened. Toss in the spices for 30 seconds then everyone in the pool with enough water to cover. Simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours keeping an eye on the water level. I heat water in an electric kettle to add if needed. Start cooking the rice using your preferred method. When the beans are tender, mash some up to thicken the broth, then toss in some andouille sausage and warm through – about 30 minutes. You can get the recipe here.
Dinner is served. I scoop out white rice and put it in a 3/4 cup measuring cup to get the cylinder shape then scoop the red beans on top. If we are being fancy I sprinkle some chives on top.
Rating: ★★★★★
This is good stuff and the Rancho Gordo beans did not disappoint. I’ve got more in the cupboard – including some garbanzo beans I plan to make hummus out of.
