Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients

1 lb dry red kidney beans
water
5 cloves of garlic or so
1 big onion or a couple little ones
1 large sweet pepper
3 or 4 ribs of celery
2 or 3 bay leaves
1 T salt
1 t thyme
½ t oregano
¼ t cayenne pepper
¼ t black pepper
¼ t cumin
1 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice

Directions

Sort the beans to remove rocks, bad beans, etc. Rinse them and soak them in enough water that the level of the water is twice as high as the beans. Drain and re-rinse them, replace the water with fresh clean water, and bring them to a boil. Be sure to stir them frequently, or they’ll stick and burn.

Meanwhile, crush or dice the garlic and finely chop the onion, pepper, and celery. When the beans have been boiling for about an hour, add all those things. Stir it all together, and add just enough water to cover everything.

Let the pot return to a boil, then reduce the heat and add all the remaining ingredients except the lemon juice. The measurements of the seasonings are approximate, so you should add them gradually, and according to your own taste.

Simmer, again stirring frequently, until the beans reach a thick, creamy consistency. The green of the celery and sweet pepper will gradually become more subdued, and the whole mixture will eventually be a light brown. If the mixture starts getting too thick before it turns creamy enough, stir in some more water, a little bit at a time. Add the lemon juice a few minutes before turning off the heat. I like to serve them over brown rice. A good serving proportion is one scoop of rice covered in a scoop and a half of beans. They freeze well, and they’re even better reheated the next day.

Variations

Here are a couple alternate approaches to making this recipe:

Slow Cooker

After soaking the beans overnight, drain the water and just barely cover the beans with fresh water. Cook on low for about 4 hours, stirring about once per hour, until the beans look cooked enough to be edible. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook on low for another 4 hours, again stirring now and then, until it reaches a consistency you like.

Bean Mix

I make this recipe a lot, so instead of measuring out all the spices each time, I make a “bean mix” by combining the spices ahead of time:

3 T thyme
1½ T oregano
2 t cayenne pepper
1 T black pepper
1 T cumin