Red Beans and Rice

In New Orleans, there is no guessing what's for supper on Monday,  red beans and rice.  Laundry day fell on Mondays in the olden days and a dish like red beans was a perfect match for a busy day.   You can throw all the ingredients together in one pot and let it simmer while you get the washing done.

Usually  I would make red beans and rice after we had eaten a ham. Ham would be eaten as it is first, then leftovers would help make jambolaya, then split pea soup and lastly,  the bone and all the good leftover bits for red beans and rice.

But, it was Monday and I was in the mood for some creamy red beans and rice. Typically, all the ingredients are in my pantry and fridge all the time, but since I had to start fresh in Hong Kong, I am lacking a majority of  my staples.

So, off I went to gather the ingredients. Beans were easy to find and obviously rice is quite plentiful here. It comes in large bags, really large bags.( Think Sams Club Dog Food size...)
Getting the rice home is the hard part. Luckily my grocery store delivers. Everything else on my list was easy until I came to the ham.

I searched the aisle of pork and found just about every part of the pig on offer but  not the ham or ham bone. I asked around, no one was speaking my language, so I pointed to my leg, hip area, while pointing to the pork section to illustrate my desire for a ham bone.

The sales clerk's eyes lit up as she understood what I meant. She ran off to the butcher to get what I assumed was my ham bone.

She returned proudly displaying a pigs foot.        A leg, a pigs leg, with the foot attached.


I shut my eyes, covered my mouth and did a pirouette.

"No" I said, "No, no no." I raised my hand to stop her from bringing it closer to me.  She laughed, it was quite amusing to the  staff behind the meat counter.

Later, it was explained to me that they only carry ham at Christmas time. So I had to make do with a different cut of pork, no, not the foot, I am not that adventurous... I picked up a small peppered piece of pork- still not sure what cut it was, something knuckle, still sounds gross, but I assure you it was not the foot... and headed home.


I made the red beans and they tasted just fine, even without the ham bone.  Below is the recipe I used,  It is dogeared in my grandmother's  Plantation Cookbook.

1 hambone
11 1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound red beans, washed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 pound ham, cubed
1/4 pound hot sausage, sliced ( left this out too, unfortunately...this is something special to LA)
1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced (and this too...)
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste, course ground
1/4 chopped parsley  ( i leave this out, think it is old fashioned to garnish with parsley)
2 cups cooked rice


***Here is a shortcut- use Red Runner Red Beans in a can and use Ham flavoring packets- it is still delicious this way, this was my single girl way of making red beans and rice!

In a large pot or Dutch oven ( or a wok!!) place ham bone,water, garlic salt, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and beans.  Cook, uncovered, over a low flame.  Saute celery, onions, and garlic in oil until transparent.  In another pan saute ham and sausage; drain.  Add cooked meats ans seasoning to beans.  Add bay leaves, salt and pepper and continue to cook over low flame until beans are soft and creamy.  Approximately 2 1/2 hours.  Remove bay leaves and add parsley before serving (or not). Serve over hot, fluffy rice.