The Need To Know Classic That Is: Red Beans and Rice

Nowadays soul food is used to describe any well-loved homemade comfort food. Traditionally, soul food is food rooted in African American culture in the southern United States during the time of slavery. Slaves were given food that was low in quality and nutritional value, foods that their masters didn't want to eat for themselves. Using the techniques they learned before being snatched from their homelands, enslaved Africans adapted their traditional recipes with the resources available. These methods became the basis of the soul food dishes we know and love today. There's a lot to like about red beans and rice. It's a classic soul food dish that's tasty, a great source of fibre and protein, and can be made relatively cheaply. The end of February may be the end of Black History Month, but that doesn't mean it's the end of enjoying Black culinary delights.

Ingredients:

300 g dry red beans
200 g long grain white rice, uncooked
265 g Andouille sausage
10 g salt, or to taste
7 g smoked paprika
5 g chopped parsley
3 g dried oregano
3 g dried thyme
2 g garlic powder
2 g onion powder
1 g cayenne pepper
1 g freshly cracked black pepper
20 mL cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions
2 ribs celery, diced
1.5 bay leaves
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

1. Soaking beans helps them cook faster and breaks down some of the complex sugars that make beans hard for some people to digest. The night before, add the dry beans to a large bowl and fill the bowl with water. Allow the beans to soak in the refrigerator overnight.
2. When it's time to start cooking, slice the sausage into rounds. Add the cooking oil and sliced sausage to a large pot and cook over medium heat until the sausage pieces are browned. Remove the cooked sausage with a slotted spoon to a clean bowl. Set the cooked sausage aside in the refrigerator.
3. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic to the pot that the sausage was cooked in. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat until the onions are soft, allowing the moisture from the vegetables to help dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir. Add the smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, black pepper, and bay leaves to the pot. Stir and cook for one minute more.
4. Drain and rinse the soaked beans. Add them to the pot along with 1.4L of water and give the pot a brief stir to combine all of the ingredients. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring everything up to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low, and let the pot boil for one hour, stirring occasionally. Replace the lid every time you stir.
5. After boiling for one hour, the beans should be tender. Begin to smash the beans with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot. Continue smashing the beans and letting the pot simmer without a lid for 30 minutes to thicken the pot.
6. While the beans are simmering, add the rice and 700 mL of water to a saucepan. Place a lid on top, turn the heat on to high, and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and let the rice simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn the heat off and let the rice rest for 5 minutes without removing the lid. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.
7. Once the red beans have thickened, add the cooked sausage back to the pot along with the chopped fresh parsley. Stir to combine. Taste the red beans and add salt to your liking.
8. Serve the red beans in a bowl with a scoop of rice and a sprinkle of sliced green onions.

Superbowl Eats: San Francisco 49ers edition

For the second time in four years, the San Francisco Forty-Niners faceoff against the Kansas City Chiefs for the Superbowl. This time out, the 49ers are led by quarterback Brock "Mr. Irrelevant" Purdy, who was previously famous for being the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Helping Purdy is league-leading rusher Christian McCaffrey at running back, talented wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and a really good tight end who's not dating a pop star in George Kittle. There's a lot to like about this team, just as there's a lot to like about the San Francisco seafood stew called cioppino. Cioppino is a tomato-based stew created in the late 1800s by Italian-American fishermen who fished off the North Beach of San Francisco. It was made with whatever seafood was leftover from the day’s catch. If you need a dish to bring to a Superbowl party, making this will definitely stand out from the usual crab and sourdough bread people think of for a Bay Area-themed menu.

Ingredients

350 mL chicken stock or low-sodium broth
2 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed
340 g skinless red snapper fillets, cut into small pieces (haddock can be used as a substitute)
230 g shelled and deveined medium shrimp
240 mL bottled clam juice
225 g canned diced tomatoes, drained
120 mL dry white wine
30 mL extra-virgin olive oil
30 g unsalted butter
30 g coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2.5 mL hot sauce, plus more for serving
2 thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add the shallot and garlic and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, for about 3 minutes. Add the wine and boil until it's reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the stock, clam juice, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and hot sauce, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for about 10 minutes until the liquid has slightly reduced.
3. Add the clams, cover, and cook just until most of them open, about 5 minutes. Add the snapper and shrimp, cover, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until they are cooked through and the remaining clams have opened.
4. Using a slotted spoon, transfer seafood to 4 bowls. Add the butter and parsley to the broth remaining in the pot and cook over moderate heat for a minute, while stirring. Spoon the broth over the seafood and serve with sourdough toast.