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.

Grits Redemption

Bag of grits

I don't get the hype about grits. I was curious about them ever since I saw Luis and David eating bowls of them on "Sesame Street" decades ago. When I finally had the opportunity to try grits,  I was underwhelmed both times. The first time was in a greasy spoon near a youth hostel I was staying in when I was in Miami for the 2000 New Year's celebrations; the other time was ten years later at a Denny's in Las Vegas after I went to a gun range. Both times I remember the experience as being similar to eating a side order of flavourless phlegm. How can that stuff be something both foodies and chefs rave about? I must be missing something. So to satisfy my curiosity, and in honour of Black History Month, I'm willing to give grits another chance. It's time to take things into my own hands and see if I can make a better version of this soul food classic than the poor examples I've received.

As part of my grits redemption, I started by finding out what the heck exactly are grits, other than something black people apparently love to eat. Grits is corn ground into a coarse meal and then boiled, and can be used to make cereals, snacks, and beer. As beloved as they are in the American southern states, grits are hard to find in this part of the Great White North. I heard Chef LeRoy of Detroit Soul Food fame gets his grits from Herb and Spice, but were are out of stock when I went, so I got mine from Little Latin America. And while I did make something that tasted better than my first two samplings, I'm still not sure what the big deal with grits is. If you 're looking for something different for breakfast that's savoury and filling, grits are the way to go, but as a comfort food, I guess this is one that you had to grow up on to fully appreciate.

Ingredients:

145 g white grits (not instant, you're looking for something that looks similar to unpopped popcorn)
90 g cheddar, coarsely grated
75 g torn collard greens leaves (the original recipe uses Swiss chard, I made the substitution just because)
15 g tablespoons unsalted butter
7 mL Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
8 slices of bacon, coarsely chopped
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 Fresno or another red chile, thinly sliced into rings
1 shallot, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher salt

1. Fill a medium-sized saucepan halfway with water, add a couple pinches of salt, and bring it to a boil. Whisking constantly, gradually pour in the grits. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the saucepan, and let the grits cook, whisking occasionally and scraping the bottom of the saucepan to prevent your grits from sticking, until they are tender, thick, and creamy,  depending on coarseness. You may need to add more water in case it all boils off.
2. Cook the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it's crisp. Transfer the bacon to a small plate with a slotted spoon. Combine the chiles and the vinegar in another small bowl, and set aside.
3. Pour off some of the fat from skillet, and cook the shallots, stirring often for about three minutes, until they are softened. Add the greens in batches, letting them wilt slightly before adding more, and cook, tossing, until everything is completely wilted. Remove the greens from heat and season them with salt, pepper, and some chile-soaking vinegar.
4. Bring 750 mL of water to a gentle simmer in a medium saucepan. Crack an egg into a small bowl, then gently slide the egg into the water. Repeat with the remaining eggs, waiting about 30 seconds until whites are opaque before adding the next one. Poach the eggs for aboutthree3 minutes until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to paper towels and set them aside.
5. Remove the grits from the heat and season with salt and lots of pepper. Add butter, then gradually add the cheese, whisking until everything is melted and combined; thin the mixture with a bit more water if it is too thick for your liking. Divide the grits among bowls, and top with the greens, the poached eggs, bacon, and chiles. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.