Appetites and Memories in the Big Easy

Three years ago today, I was in the throes of wedding planning.  As October 3 approaches, we are considering our annual $5 gifts to each other, based on the traditional gift exchange.

Street art

Year one was paper, so we exchanged items made of paper; year two was cotton, so we exchanged items made of fabric.  This year is leather or glass.  Since I am kind of a vegetarian, I have issues with leather, so we're going with the glass.

But I'm getting off topic.  Habibi and I were married in October, and the following January, he took me on a surprise honeymoon to New Orleans!  As long as I can remember, I've wanted to spend time in the Big Easy, and after 20+ years of enduring people's negative comments about this beautiful city, I got my opportunity!

Muffuletta from Central Grocery

Part of the fun of our vacation was the fact that we road-tripped it.  We were about 30 minutes outside of our town when Habibi pulled a wrapped gift box out of the back seat.  After tearing open the paper, I discovered two thick travel books for our destination, and was given an assignment:  pick out all the things you want to do in New Orleans for the next week.

"Who dat?"

Suffice it to say, we ate gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp, beignets, and -of course- the best muffuletta on the planet.  We went on a swamp tour (I got to hold a baby alligator!), sipped café au lait at Café du Monde at midnight, loitered with some of the most talented street musicians I've ever seen, and exchanged pleasantries with the owner of a little French boutique...en français, bien sûr!  The city was filled with excitement at that time as the Saints had just qualified for the Super Bowl and only about two weeks remained until all of the Mardi Gras celebrations.  I stand amazed that so many people associate this colorful city only with its notorious ninth ward.  Anywhere on earth where young people address you as "ma'yam" and old people call you "suga" can't be all bad.

Holding the baby gator.

As you can see, I fell in love on my honeymoon - with New Orleans.  (I am still faithful to Habibi, of course!)  Every time I visit a new place, something about me changes a little bit.  Usually it's not anything big or obvious or even identifiable, but a little piece of me stays behind in the locations on earth that touch my heart:  countless cities in France, Dublin, Corfu, Rome, Lagos, Lucerne, Seville, Chicago, New Orleans...

Last night, I made one of our favorite meals:  red beans and rice.  Perhaps one of the reasons I love it so much is because it brings back such pleasant memories.  So, in honor of the good stuff and one of my favorite cities, I have decided to post my creation here.  Behold...

Anouchka's "Nawlins" Red Beans and Rice

Because I don't really measure ingredients, no two batches of this recipe are the same. The quantities for each ingredient are just rough estimates. (Note, however, that I tend to be pretty generous with everything...) Feel free to tweak to your personal tastes!

Ingredients

• 
  ½ bag dry red kidney beans, soaked & drained (Keep the “drain.”)
• 1 cup dry brown rice (Cook in “drain” from bean soak.)
• ½ cup unsalted veggie broth/stock (Optional)
• 2 bay leaves (Add to beans for the second half of their cooking cycle.)
• ½ tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 2+ tbsp liquid smoke (Feel free to be really generous with this!)
• 1 sprig thyme (Blended/finely chopped – Dry will work if you don't have fresh.)
• 1 sprig oregano (Blended/finely chopped – Dry will work if you don't have fresh.)
• ½ – 1 onion, diced (Red is best, but any onion will do.)
• ½ – 1 cup diced fresh bell peppers OR frozen bell pepper strips (Target and Trader Joe's both have good ones.)
• ½ – 1 tomato, diced
• 1 heaping tsp minced garlic (Fresh will work too. The idea is you want about 2-3 relatively potent cloves.)
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

• 

  When chopping onions, don't
  forget your protective eye wear.

  Rinse, soak and cook beans according to instructions on package. (Save the “bean drain juice.”) Add the two bay leaves to the second half of the cooking cycle. (You will want to use a big pot for this because you'll be adding everything else to it later.)
• Cook rice in “bean drain juice” and any additional water/broth necessary per the instructions on the package.
• Once rice and beans have finished cooking, combine together in your big pot. Add all other ingredients and give it a good stir so everything is well blended. (Optional step: sauté garlic, onion, and peppers prior to adding to the big pot.)
• Allow to simmer for another 15-30 minutes...depending on how long you want to wait.
• This is the most important step: Test frequently. You don't want it to be gross. :)
• Remove bay leaves and divvy it up!

Nom nom nom!

I sometimes like to make this a day ahead of time and refrigerate overnight before serving (reheated, of course). It's often better the second day because all of the flavors have really had a chance to blend together.

The amounts above make about 4 medium sized servings - depending if you're pigs like us, or if you eat normal human sized portions. The recipe doubles beautifully but freezes miserably, so don't make more than you'll be able to eat in a reasonable amount of time!

Bon appétit et laissez les bons temps rouler!