Classic Red Rice Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees and coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a large (12-inch) heavy skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Remove the bacon to paper towels to drain, leaving behind drippings. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
• In the same skillet, add the chopped onion, celery, bell pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, another 30 seconds.
• To the skillet, add the rinsed rice. Stir and toast the rice for 30 seconds. Add the crumbled bacon, tomato purée, stock, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, sugar, pepper and cayenne.
• Bring the rice and vegetables to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt, if needed.
• Carefully transfer ingredients to the greased baking dish. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil, and bake until the rice is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. Check the rice after about 30 minutes to make sure all the liquid is absorbed, and the rice is tender. (If it's too dry or not cooked all the way through, add a few tablespoons of water or stock at a time, if necessary, and cook a little longer.) Fluff with a fork before serving and garnish with parsley leaves.

Steps:

• Sort beans and rinse with cold water. Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand until beans are softened, 1-4 hours., Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Return to Dutch oven. Add the water, ham hock, bay leaves and onion powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour., In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, cook the beef, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add to bean mixture. Simmer, uncovered, 1 hour. Discard bay leaves., Remove ham hock; allow to cool. Remove meat from bone; discard bone. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and return to broth. Heat through. Serve with rice and, if desired, top with chopped fresh parsley.

Steps:

• Rinse beans, and then soak in a large pot of water overnight.
• In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery in olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Rinse beans, and transfer to a large pot with 6 cups water. Stir cooked vegetables into beans. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, thyme, sage, parsley, and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
• Stir sausage into beans, and continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare the rice. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve beans over steamed white rice.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• Bring the rice, water, and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the rice is cooking, cook the bacon in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon drippings in the pan. Reduce heat to medium. Drain the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels; crumble the bacon once cooled enough to handle.
• Cook and stir the onions in the reserved bacon drippings until translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the crumbled bacon, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce; bring the mixture to a simmer, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon the cooked rice into the prepared baking dish and stir the tomato-bacon mixture into the rice until evenly combined.
• Cover the dish and bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Steps:

• Rinse the beans under cold water in a colander. Throw away any broken beans or pebbles. Put the beans into a large bowl and add enough water to cover them by about 2 inches. Soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. (Quick method = bring the beans and enough water to cover them by 2 inches to a boil in a large pot over high heat and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and cover tightly, let stand for 1 hour.).
• Heat up the oil in a big, heavy stockpot over med-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers and garlic - cook, stirring, for about 4 minutes or until softened. Add the sausage, salt, Creole seasoning, cayenne, black pepper, thyme and the bay leaves. Cook, stirring, for about 4-5 minutes or until the sausage is browned. Add the ham hock and cook for 3 minutes.
• Drain the beans and add them to the pot. pour in enough stock to cover the whole mixture by about 1 inch. Bring this to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to med-low and simmer, uncovered, until the beans are tender, stirring occasionally - approx 2 hours. Remove and throw away the bay leaves.
• Mash up about 1/4 of the bean mixture. This will thicken the juices. Remove the ham hock and let cool slightly. Slice the meat from the bone, throwing away the skin and bones. Return the meat to the pot and heat it through.
• Spoon the rice into bowls and top with the beans. Relax and enjoy!