Today, I must begin with a personal tale of humor and woe.
Several years ago, the first of what became to be a series of cough medicine commercials became popular. The content was a man talking about feeling like he’s a death’s door and needing a sick day. It’s later revealed that he’s speaking over a crib to his infant child. The hook line, of course, is that no parent ever takes a sick day and the cough medicine will prevent that from being a necessity. At the moment, I’m very in agreement with needing a sick day.
Friday, I attended a high school football game. Now, anyone who knows me knows I love me some football—just not high school football. Let’s just say I have issues with lots of things around how the team I’m there to support is conducted. And although, I’m a serious SEC girl who can talk mega smack, somehow the rules of high school football seem…different. I always thought in order to it to be considered a touchdown, the player must cross into the end zone/goal line with the ball. Obviously, not so in high school football when I witness a receiver who ran for 45 yards before losing the ball (the pigskin football that is for the refs who are obviously unfamiliar with the object) on the six-yard line. The ball slipped from its neatly tucked hole beneath the receiver’s arm when he turned to taunt the defensive player chasing him in vain. Not only was the taunting penalty not called, but by the time the receiver crossed into the end zone, the ball had bounced rolled to the twelve-yard line. Yet, this was a touchdown. The sad part about this was the team who was awarded that “touchdown” was so far ahead, aside from the second coming of Our Lord, there was no way the other team could win. Thus, the bad call was truly in poor taste and appeared to be done deliberately to help make the shutout game even more humiliating for the losing team. And parents and fans who yelled their displeasure over the call were uncourteously escorted from the game by the city’s finest because the fans are only to be seen and not heard. A strong warning is issued prior to the game, not to criticize the referees, because they are “professionals”. Whatever. But I digress.
My point is, I’m rarely happy on a Friday night after being stuck in the stands for two hours watching what I considered to be a really boring imitation of football. As I sit there, I always hear Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy looping in my head. “Ma ma ma mama said foos-ball is dee devil”. Maybe there’s something wrong with my medulla oblongata for trying to understand it.
So anyway, to cheer myself up afterward, I decided to make a spontaneous visit to my mother’s house. From the previous week, the temperature had warmed up nicely (in the mid ro upper seventies to mid-eighties) with lows in the upper sixties. This was a stark contrast to the week before when temperatures had dipped into the thirties. Yes, you know most Southerners don’t do well in the cold, and that thirty degrees may as well have been thirty below. But that’s all beside the point.
As I mentioned, the weather was nice—or, at least, it was when I set out on my trip. However, once I arrived and opened my car door (literally), the heavens cackled, opened up, and nearly drowned me. Okay, so maybe drowning is an over exaggeration, but there was a significant downpour. Despite calling my mother’s phone, ringing the doorbell, and knocking, there was no answer. So, there I was: stuck on the front porch getting soaked. Finally, the door opens, and I’m allowed entry. Because the rain is so heavy, I leave my luggage in the trunk and opt to wear forgotten clothes tucked away in the closet from high school. They weren’t very comfortable and surely not fashionable, but they were dry. Since it’s late, I dry off with a towel, change, and head to bed. Before I’m snuggled beneath the covers, my right ear is throbbing and I can feel drainage. It is followed a short while later by an itchy throat. By morning, I’m congested, coughing, sneezing, and have a fountain pouring from my nose. Yes, I know: gross and TMI, but that’s my reality. I also had lost my voice. I try to tough it out, but the sneezing fits got to be too much, as I was sneezing in consecutive double digits. I maxed out at thirty-one, no joke. That’s when I retorted to OTC antihistamines, and everyone knows the side effects of those things—-zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Eventually, three days later, I make my way into a doctor’s office where I’m promptly given two shots in the buttocks, prescribed an antibiotic and a cough medicine.
My cough was the least of my issues, and I wondered why the doctor has bothered to call it in. I told him, I just wanted to be dried up. Well, there’s a reason he’s a doctor and I’m not because apparently, he knew something I didn’t. In less than an hour after seeing him, everything in my head moved to my chest. Unfortunately, the cough syrup isn’t suppressing anything.
Now, you may be wondering at this point, what does any of this nonsense have to do with being Creole, and the answer is nothing. But it did get me thinking. I didn’t want to spend time slaving over a stove while sick. I needed something easy and quick. Then, it hit me: red beans and rice.
Red beans and rice has been a part of Creole culture for over two hundred years. However, experts and historians cannot agree on when the recipe first entered Creole culture. They also cannot agree on the original recipe or preparation of the dish. Another area that remains uncertain is the original recipe. There are hundreds of ways to prepare it, as no two recipes are the same. But before delving into the preparation, it is important
Red beans and rice is a staple, comfort food in many Creole homes. It remains a typical meal prepared/cooked on Mondays. According to historical accounts, the tradition of red beans and rice on Mondays began due to Mondays being the day most people did their laundry. Since the preparation is simple and the meal being both scrumptious and fulfilling, it is easy to understand why quickly became a favorite. In an age when women typically prepared the family meals and did the laundry, red beans and rice were able to mix the ingredients and allow it to cook all day while the laundry was being done. It also can feed large families for a relatively small cost.
The following recipe is the one my family has used for years. As with many Creole recipes, this one involves many ingredients. There are others that are much simpler to prepare and cheaper.
| 4 bay leaves | 2 tbs onion powder | ½ tbs canola oil | ||
| 2 tbs kosher salt | 1½ tsp oregano | 1 tbs butter | ||
| 2 tbs black pepper | 2 tbs paprika | 10 oz crushed tomatoes | ||
| 1 tbs white pepper | 1½ tbs sage | 1 lb kidney beans (or Creole red beans) | ||
| 1 tsp cayenne | 1 ½ tsp thyme | 1 ham hock | ||
| 2 tbs basil | 1 Spanish onion | 1 lb andouille sausage (cubed) | ||
| 2 bay leaves | 3 stalks celery ribs | 2 cups chicken stock (or broth) | ||
| ½ tsp celery salt | 3 cloves garlic | 3 cups rice | ||
|
2 tbs garlic powder |
1 green bell pepper (seeded) |
I usually start by placing my kidney beans in the slow cooker and allow them to soak there overnight. However, sometimes, if I know that they’ll be cooking more than ten hours, I’ll skip this step. Also, if it’s a shorter cooker time Blue Runner has a canned creamed Creole red bean that I use instead of the dried beans. But for this recipe, I’ll focus on using the dried beans with a long cook time on a low crockpot setting.
After the beans have soaked, drain and add butter, canola oil, onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Allow to cook until the butter has melted. Stir. Add the spices (salt, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne, basil, celery salt, thyme, onion powder, paprika, sage, and oregano). Mix well. Add tomatoes and stir. Allow to cook for approximately five minutes. Add chicken stock and stir. Add ham hock, andouille, and bay leaves. Allow to cook 8 – 10 hours.
In a pot, cook rice as directed. Serve the red beans in a bowl with a scoop of rice atop. For an alternative method, sometimes, about an hour before I’m ready to serve, I add my uncooked rice to my crockpot. This allows the rice enough time to cook without becoming overly mushy.
So, there it is… how I went from high school football to the crud to red beans and rice. Turn in next Wednesday for a new blog post. Please feel free to leave a comment on this post or share your favorite version of this dish.
Continue to be on the watch for a special announcement that I will make later this month. If you haven’t already, follow me on Instagram or Facebook. Also, take a moment to visit my writing project page.
I’m continuing to take request for topics to be covered on Creole’s Bayou. A few that I have been requested are on the list, but they will require a little more time for me to write, as I want to be positive the subjects are handled properly.
Creole Bayou 