Monday Night Red Beans & Rice with Smoky Andouille

⏱ 150 min · Serves 6

The New Orleans classic: creamy red beans simmered low and slow with the holy trinity, bay and thyme, studded with browned andouille and spooned over fluffy long-grain rice. Mash a ladleful of beans against the pot at the end and the whole thing turns silky without a drop of cream.

Per serving: 720 kcal · 38.0g protein · 85.0g carbs · 25.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500g dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 400g andouille sausage, sliced into 1cm coins
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 2 celery sticks, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 smoked ham hock (optional, about 400g)
• 1.6 litres chicken stock or water
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 350g long-grain white rice
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Hot sauce, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Brown the andouille coins for 4-5 minutes until the edges crisp, then lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper to the sausage fat and cook for 8 minutes until soft and glossy. Stir in the garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, cayenne and black pepper and cook 1 minute more.
3. Add the drained beans, bay leaves, ham hock if using, and the stock. Bring to a hard boil for 10 minutes, then reduce to a bare simmer, partly covered.
4. Simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring now and then and topping up with hot water if the beans look dry, until the beans are completely tender.
5. Return the browned andouille to the pot along with the Worcestershire sauce and salt. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
6. Shred any meat off the ham hock and stir it back in. Mash about a cupful of the beans against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, then stir to thicken the gravy. Taste and adjust salt and cayenne.
7. Meanwhile, rinse the rice until the water runs clear, then cook in 600ml salted water: bring to the boil, cover, drop to the lowest heat for 12 minutes, then rest off the heat 10 minutes and fluff.
8. Fish out the bay leaves. Spoon the beans over bowls of rice, scatter with spring onions and pass the hot sauce.