LOUISIANA RED BEANS & RICE

A delectable one pot comfort dish that exemplifies the heart of good ole southern cooking; made easy with my flavor enhancing Island Gurl Seasoned Salt.

CREOLE SEASONING

2 Tbsp Island Gurl Seasoned Salt

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 tsp fresh or dried Thyme leaves

1 tsp dried Oregano

2 tsp dried Basil

1 tsp Cayenne Pepper

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. red kidney beans, washed and soaked overnight

1 lb pickled (corned) beef, cut into 1-inch pieces or

1 smoked ham hock

2 bay leaves

1 lb smoked sausage

½ medium onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

½ green bell pepper, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

8 garlic cloves, diced

¼ cup diced parsley

¼ cup white or red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp parsley as garnish

 PREPARATION

1. Place all creole seasoning ingredients in a small airtight container, shake to mix and set aside.
2. In a large stock pot (or pressure cooker), add the beef, ham hock (or both if using), with water to cover, and place over high heat, bring to a boil and lower heat to simmer for 1 hour (25 minutes in pressure cooker) until tender. Drain and reserve stock and set aside. Pat meat dry with paper towel, set aside on a large plate.
3. In a 7-quart (7L) Dutch oven or wide-bottomed pot, add beans with soaked water plus an additional 2 L of water to cover, bay leaves, bring to a boil, then lower to simmer.
4. In a large skillet with oil over medium-high heat, add the sausage and sear on both sides for 4-5 minutes per side until browned, remove and return to plate with other meat to cool.
5. Add onion, celery, and peppers to skillet and cook for 5 minutes, add garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, add vegetables to pot with simmering beans and stir.
6. Cut sausage into 1/4–inch slices diagonally, cut ham hock (if using) into 1-inch pieces, and add meats to beans, stir and cook for 1 hour.
7. Add creole seasoning to beans, 2 cups reserved stock, parsley, vinegar and cook for an additional 25 minutes or until beans are tender and sauce is thickened to coat back of spoon.
8. Adjust seasoning with more seasoned salt to taste if necessary. Serve beans over white rice garnished with parsley.