In addition to being just plain delicious, red beans and rice has quite a nostalgia factor for me. Growing up, the one time every year we could count on getting Popeye's Chicken (and a giant tub of red beans and rice on the side) was the annual summer visit to my grandparents house in southern Illinois. There is a water park right on the IL/MO border that we'd take a day trip to and on the way back to their house after a day full of sun and water slides, we'd pick up dinner at Popeyes. The food was always great, but the most memorable part was watching my (depression-baby) grandfather clean chicken bones like they were the last thing he'd eat. It's turned into a little bit of a sport over the years between my sisters and I - who can clean their chicken bones like Pa? This annual summer feast was my first introduction to Cajun food.
Of all the Cajun dishes I've tried, both as a diner and as a cook, red beans and rice is one of my favorites. The only catch? To really do it well so that the beans are cooked perfectly but the rice isn't soggy, it takes a slow pace and a lot of pots. Think of this as red beans and rice in a hurry. It's a bit more melded than the original version tends to be and it ends up being a bit soupier, which I happened to absolutely love. It also has more veggies than you'll find in many red beans and rice interpretations (especailly Popeye's... though love, guys). Best of all, this dish is very, very easy to make as a vegetarian dish and add meat in separately for anyone who wants it. If keeping the dish vegetarian is no concern, feel free to add in the sausage at the beginning and substitute chicken broth for vegetable broth.
One batch of this will serve four generously and works especially well even it's the only thing you're serving for dinner. That doesn't mean you can't include some fried chicken if you're so inclined...
Cajun
Risotto
35
minutes
Serves
4 generously
Spoonful
of Something Original
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbsp.
olive oil
- ½ large
onion, diced
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 4 ribs
celery, diced
- 1 red bell
pepper, diced
- 1 can red
beans, drained
- 1 ½ cups
Arborio rice
- ½ cup white
wine
- 4-5 cups
vegetable broth
- 1-2 Tbsp.
Cajun seasoning
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp.
black pepper
- 8 oz.
Andouille sausage (optional – see tips and tricks)
1.
In a large
saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2.
Sautee onion
and garlic for about 3 minutes, or until the onion starts to become
translucent.
3.
Add in the
celery and allow to cook for an additional 5 minutes.
4.
Stir in the
red pepper and beans and allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
5.
Add in the rice and stir to combine all
the ingredients. Allow the rice to cook without liquid for 2 minutes.
6.
Add in the
white wine, stir to combine and continue stirring occasionally until most of
the liquid has been absorbed.
7.
Add ½ cup
vegetable broth, stirring occasionally. Stir in the Cajun seasoning and salt
and pepper.
8.
Continue to
add the broth each time the moisture is mostly absorbed, but before the rice
dries out, ½ cup at a time. Repeat this step until the rice is tender.
Tips
and Tricks:
- You may not
use all 5 cups of vegetable broth and that’s ok! Adding the liquid ½ cup
at a time ensures you won’t dry out your rice (provided you’re stirring
and paying attention) and you won’t overcook your dish (provided you
occasionally stop to taste and check for doneness).
- Depending
on what kind of Cajun seasoning you use, you may want more or less added
salt in your version. To make sure you don’t oversalt, start with less
than the recipe calls for, taste and continue to add until it tastes right
to you.
- If you want
to add meat, you can add uncooked Andouille sausage at step 2. Cook it for
a few minutes by itself before adding in the onion and garlic. If you’re
working with pre-cooked sausage, you can add it to the entire pot as you
add the last 2 cups of broth, or top individual services with meat to keep
the main dish vegetarian.
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