Creole Red Beans and Rice

One of the first, regular, and most enduring recipes from my years serving down south is Red Beans and Rice. More than jambalaya or gumbo, this is the regular staple, and we served it once a week at the soup kitchen in Laurel.

When I started at OIT, we had a Mardi Gras potluck, and with some suggestions, Elizabeth found a version of this recipe. Everyone loved it, and my Baton Rouge native student said it's the best Red Beans he's eaten past the Rockies. 

The southerners want it hotter, but you can use as little spice as suits your palate. This comes out as a nice, thick stew, so half the time I skip the rice altogether.

Creole Red Beans and Rice

Stew:

1 pound dried red beans

7 cups broth, [or water + 2 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon]

1 red bell pepper, chopped

At least 2 hot peppers (Jalepeno, Serrano, etc.)

2 medium onions, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (Tony Cachere’s More Spice is the real deal)

2 tablespoons hot sauce (or vinegar if you're watching the heat)

1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced (I generally just use hot links)

Toppings:

Hot cooked rice

Hot Sauce

Garnish: sliced green onions

Preparation

Place stew ingredients in a 5-quart slow cooker.

Cook, covered, 8-10 hours or until beans are tender. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Canadian Cheese soup

Soup season is upon us! Soup is among my favorite classes of food.  Scott likes cheese soup, and was dreaming about how they are serving cheese soup at the Cannon Center tomorrow, so I looked up a recipe, and we made some. The recipe called for Canadian bacon, which we didn't technically have, but since it's basically ham, we did have that.

I made homemade mozzarella cheese last night and we were looking at things to make with the leftover whey. I made honey whole wheat bread (also pictured below), and we used whey instead of water to make our broth for this soup. We didn't even think that there could be potential problems with the chemistry of the dish (e.g., if there was still rennet and acid in the whey, it might curdle the soup, just like it curdled the cheese), but it seemed to have worked out. Served it with steamed broccoli and homemade honey whole wheat bread.

From: 10/2/16

Update 10/11/17:
Somehow the recipe didn't make this post, so here's  one we've tried since. We subbed regular bacon this time:

Canadian Cheese Soup

3 cups chicken broth
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 small onions, diced
6 ounces Canadian bacon, trimmed and diced
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon black pepper and/or 1 Serrano pepper finely diced
- Maybe some extra flavor with a splash of Worcestershire sauce and/or cider vinegar

Mix vegetables and broth together in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Melt butter in a sauce pan then add flour. Cook for a few minutes for a nice golden roux. Whisk milk into roux and keep stirring while bringing to a boil for a couple minutes

Mash broth boiled veggies with a potato masher; you still want some chunks when you're done. Add ham/bacon and leave on low heat. Slowly whisk in milky roux. Remove from heat, add cheese and stir until melted.

OG style Italian sausage soup

It's a bit early for soup, but Scott's having TMJ issues, so anything he doesn't have to chew much makes him happy these days. I think OG spares you some of the preconceptions you might have when you see, "Olive Garden." Always nice to have a soup to hit the spot. We even used Turkey Sausage on special, and didn't notice a real difference.

Slow Cooker OG style Italian Sausage & Kale Soup

20 MINUTES PREP; 5 HOURS COOKING;  SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3 russet potatoes, sliced into wedges then halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups kale or Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 2 ounce cream cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Brown and chunk sausage. Fill crockpot with sausage, potatoes, onion, garlic and broth. Cook low for 8 hours, or high 4. Finish with kale, milk and cream for about 30 minutes to desired texture.

Recipe adapted from Somewhat Simple