Red Beans and Rice

Method

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1. Cover the beans with 2 litres of cold water and soak overnight. Drain.

   Mark done

2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the sausage for 5 minutes. Lift it out and set aside.

   Mark done Start 5 min timer

3. Cook the onion, pepper and celery in the same pot for 8 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, thyme, paprika and cayenne and cook for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

4. Add the beans, ham hock, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a full boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover partly and simmer for 2 hours, stirring now and then and adding hot water if the pot looks dry, until the beans are very tender.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

5. Lift out the hock, pull the meat from the bone and return it to the pot with the sausage. Discard the bay leaves.

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6. Mash about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon and simmer for 15 minutes more, until creamy. Season with the salt and pepper.

   Mark done Start 15 min timer

7. Cook the rice according to the packet. Serve the beans over the rice with spring onions and hot sauce.

   Mark done

Chef’s Tips

• Boil the soaked beans hard for 10 minutes before simmering. Raw or under-boiled kidney beans are toxic.
• Mash some of the beans at the end. They thicken the gravy without any flour.
• Salt late. Salt added early can keep the bean skins tough.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.
• Vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock makes this meat-free without changing the method, if that is what you need.

Pairing Suggestions

• Cornbread
• Hot sauce
• A green salad

Storage & Reheating

Keep in the fridge up to 5 days. They are better on the second day. Freeze for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.