Creole Red Beans and Rice (Louisiana French)

This is a favorite New Orleans lunch.

1 pound dried red kidney beans
1 1/2 pounds ham hock or ham bone with
generous amount of meat
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped

Place beans and ham hock in a large pot. Cover with water. Water should be 1/2 to 3/4 inch above beans. Heat. When beans and water are hot, add bell pepper, onion, celery, garlic, seasonings and jalapeño pepper. Cook slowly for 2 to 3 hours or until gravy is thick and beans are tender. Salt to taste.

Serve over fluffy white rice. Serves 4.

Dirty Rice

5 cups water, chicken or beef broth
2 packages Oak Grove Smokehouse Dirty Rice Mix*
2 1/2 pounds ground round,
3 bunches chopped green onions, with tops
Minced garlic or garlic powder to taste
1 small finely chopped green pepper
Crushed red pepper to taste
3 to 4 pounds spicy smoked sausage

Bring broth to a boil. Add dirty rice mix, stir; return to boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside for 20 minutes.

Pour cooked rice mix into very large bowl.

Brown ground round with onions, garlic, green pepper and crushed red pepper flakes. Do not drain.

Cut sausage into 1/2 inch slices and then again in half or into quarters. Brown and drain.

Mix all together in bowl with rice and let set at least 2 hours for flavors to blend in, then adjust seasonings to taste. Maybe reheated before serving if desired.

Lorraine's Note: I don't add salt because the rice mix has a lot of salt in it. This makes enough to fill 2 gallon size freezer bags & it freezes well.

*If you can't find this, Zatarain's Dirty Rice works quite well, other name brands will do.

Louisiana Dirty Rice

1 pound giblets (wild fowl, chicken, or turkey), chopped fine
2 cups raw white rice
1/2 pound loose pork sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup scallion tops
Salt and pepper, to taste

Boil the giblets in a saucepan of salted water to cover until very tender. Drain, reserving the liquid, and set the giblets aside. Return the liquid to the saucepan, adding more water if necessary to make 4 cups. Add the rice, bring to a boil, and cook, covered, over low heat for 20 minutes or until tender. Set aside and keep warm.

In a deep heavy skillet start the pork sausage on low heat; as soon as the fat begins to cook out, add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Continue cooking on low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are soft. Add the cooked rice, giblets, parsley, scallion tops, salt, and pepper and stir all together lightly but thoroughly. If possible, add some drippings from the fowl or meat which you are serving. Do not let parsley and scallion tops become scorched.

Vegetarian Dirty Rice:
Follow directions for Louisiana Dirty Rice, using 1/2 cup peanuts in place of the giblets and pork sausage, and sauté until golden (about 2 minutes). Replace white rice with 3 cups cold cooked brown rice.