Lake Charles Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoon chili powder (or 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin (or 1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon Lawry's season salt (or 1/2 cup)
- 1 teaspoon oregano leaves (or 1/2 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper (or 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper (or 2 Tbl.)
- 2 bay leaves (or 24 crushed)
- 1 pound red beans
- 1 pound smoked sausage and/or ham
- 1 celery stalk, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons spice mix
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cup uncooked rice
- grated cheese and chopped onion for garnish
Instructions
Rinse beans several times discarding any hulls or beans that float to the top. Soak beans overnight (at lease 8 hours) in a large pot of water, giving them plenty of room to expand. After they have soaked, rinse beans again and place them in a pot covering them with cool water one to two inches above the beans. Add celery, onion, garlic, meat, and spices and raise to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer the beans. Stir occasionally. The beans will need to simmer for two to three hours until they are soft and make their own "gravy". If additional water is needed during the cooking process, you must add boiling water! Add brown sugar in the last thirty minutes to mellow spices. Serve over boiled rice. As condiments, top with graded cheddar cheese, chopped white onion or green onion, and tabasco sauce.