Red beans

It's been a while since I talked about red beans. More particularly, red beans and rice, one of the staples meals of Louisiana. In many parts of Louisiana, red beans and rice were the Monday staple. They're cheap and they don't take much standing-over-the-stove time. There are several ways to cook red beans, and the more traditional method is to start with dry beans, soak them overnight, then put them on a low fire all day long. Or a slow-cooker.

There's another method that is quicker. Canned beans. I can hear the purists howling, but my recipe has been known to turn heads and fill bellies.

Ingredients.

Eight cans (15 oz) red beans
Two pounds smoked sausage
Oil
Flour
Chopped onions
Chopped bell peppers

Dice peppers and onions, then sautee in oil. Add a little garlic if you like. Set aside when they're sweet. Cut sausage into rounds. Sautee those as well. You want to get a little grease from the sausage to make the roux. When the sausage is fried, remove the meat, then make a roux with your flour and oil. You might have to add oil if you don't have enough sausage grease. When your roux is the color of a pecan, add some water, then the onions and peppers, then the sausage, then the canned beans. Put everything on a low fire and let it simmer, stirring it when you walk past it.

You can easily halve this recipe with four cans of beans and a single pound of sausage. Or you can triple it if you're feeding a crowd. I normally feed crowds.

About 30 minutes before serving, make a big pot of rice. With the crowd I normally feed, I'll make five cups of rice. Serve with iced tea.

Bon apetit.