We Like to Cook!

Monday is laundry day at our house, so following Creole tradition; I usually make red beans and rice. Because red beans usually take several hours to cook, I let the beans slowly cook all day, stirring and adjusting flavors between loads of wash. The rice and pan-seared sausage take only a few minutes and dinner is ready with little extra effort.

1 (16 ounce) bag of dried red kidney beans
6 cups of water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, mashed or minced
2 teaspoons salt
1-2 carrots, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
pinch of thyme
pepper to taste
1 cup scallions, chopped

Soak beans over night in 6-8 cups of water. Drain water and replace before cooking. Heat olive oil in the bottom of a saucepan. Add garlic and sauté until golden (do not let garlic burn or it will taste very bitter.) Add beans, water, and other ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are soft; about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and check water level. You may need to add water if the beans get to dry.  In their final form they should form a gravy and not be too soupy or too gloppy. Serve with rice and top with chopped scallions. Polska kielbasa, (we cut the sausage lengthwise and brown in a frying pan,) is served along side with Louisiana Hot Sauce (of course!)