red beans & rice

This Louisiana classic is great to make when you have other things to do. If you think this is something quick to prepare, think again. Good for Saturdays when you've got laundry to do, or housecleaning to face, or Saturday morning cartoons to watch.

The Night Before: Soak beans overnight in cold water.

After soaking beans, drain and rinse off. Make sure your beans don't have any rock-like elements in them, as some bags of beans are wont to do. In a large stew pot, put beans in and then cover with water, and then half again. Bring water and beans to a boil, then reduce heat to low/simmer. Put in onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover. Let simmer for about three hours, but keep an eye out for water reduction - you can add more water if necessary, or turn heat down further. About 20 minutes before you think they'll be ready, put in the brown sugar and Tabasco sauce. You can do your rice now, too - I assume you know how to make rice, don't ya? (If not - and it's not unusual! - the ratio of water-to-rice is 2-to-1, with the best rice [IMHO] being made when water and rice are brought to a boil, then heat reduced to low and pot covered.)

Serve red beans over rice. Salt and season to taste.

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