{"id":24993,"date":"2016-01-29T06:00:51","date_gmt":"2016-01-29T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/?p=24993"},"modified":"2022-08-16T13:44:04","modified_gmt":"2022-08-16T20:44:04","slug":"red-beans-and-rice-a-new-orleans-staple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shescookin.com\/red-beans-and-rice-a-new-orleans-staple\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Beans and Rice: A New Orleans Staple"},"content":{"rendered":"
For Fat Tuesday, February 9th this year, I’m sharing a lot of “let the good times roll” and a “healthified” vegetarian version of New Orleans’ grand dame Leah “Dooky” Chase’s<\/a>\u00a0Red Beans and Rice recipe.<\/p>\n Hopefully, Dooky won’t mind that I had to forego the smoked meats that impart such a complex flavor to the traditional dish – not because I don’t like ham bone or smoked meat, I absolutely love these Southern staples, but hubs can’t enjoy cured meats due to his physician-mandated low sodium diet. Giving up sausage, bacon, ham, and deli meats was very hard for him in the beginning, but he’s adapted and occasionally enjoys homemade meatballs on his pizza.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This beloved Creole staple is said to have originated with African-American cooks on Louisiana plantations. After\u00a0soaking the beans on Saturday night, Sunday supper’s ham bone was reserved for the beans. Monday was “wash day” in New Orleans, and became the traditional day for eating red beans because they could be left to simmer all day with little attention while doing the wash and other chores.<\/p>\n Today, “red and white” is a New Orleans favorite that you will find everywhere, from home kitchens to fine restaurants, including Dooky Chase’s<\/a>, whose version is widely adapted. Most versions keep with tradition and contain smoked or pickled meat and sausage, ham bone or ham hocks. In The Dooky Chase Cookbook<\/em>, chef Leah Chase* explains that pickling meat is something that New Orleans Creoles did, so it’s more of a city touch, while smoked meat is something that country folks used.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To achieve the smoky complex flavor of the beans without meat, I used fermented black garlic which possesses amazing umami and imparts another layer of flavor. I utilize it in my low sodium cooking instead of soy sauce or salt – it adds a depth of flavor to everything from spaghetti sauce to hearty soups and stews. A few drops of liquid smoke lends a smokiness that smoked sausage or meat would add. Red beans should not be soupy, but rather what locals call “creamy” from the beans cooking long and slow to a natural sauciness. You can soak the beans overnight or do the quick method of simmering them for an hour or so to soften. Do not throw out the brown cooking liquid – it will thicken during cooking and create the desired “creaminess”. Beans are a nutritional powerhouse – an excellent source of protein and loads of fiber, they are also low in Saturated Fat and Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol and a very good source of Vitamin C, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate,\u00a0Copper and Manganese. {Source: Health.com<\/a>}<\/p>\nVegetarian Red Beans and Rice Recipe<\/h2>\n