Red beans and rice is such a New Orleans tradition that Louis Armstrong sometimes signed letters "Red beans and ricely yours." Every Monday, all over town, po-boy shops, corner restaurants, and just about anywhere you can eat will be serving Red (Kidney) beans. The beans are usually served with sausage, but often also contain ham, and sometimes feature pork chops or fried chicken in place of the sausage. They are always served over rice.
I hated red beans when I was younger, but I've grown to appreciate them. I still prefer other beans though. So when I cook beans, it's usually Great Northerns, aka "White beans."
There are a lot of matters in dispute where beans are concerned. One of those is whether to soak, and whether, if you soak, you should first drain and rinse your beans before cooking. I do both, but not really because the draining has any noticeable affect on the digestiveness of the beans; rather, it seems like a good idea to me to wash any agricultural product before cooking it.
Soaking, on the other hand, does have a measurable affect in lessening the time spent cooking the beans. It doesn't have to be overnight to have an affect, all you really need to see is some absorption of the water by the beans.
Another area of debate is whether to salt beans before they are thoroughly cooked. Some people think that prematurely salting will make the beans tough, and others insist that you won't achieve a full flavoring unless you add salt early. The folks in the latter camp insist that whether a bean cooks fully has more to do with its age than with the presence of salt (or acid, which is yet another area of debate, but one I don't intend to discuss).
I take a sort of half and half approach. I add smoked ham hocks, or sometimes sausage, during the cooking process. That adds both salt, and wonderful, wonderful pork fat to the dish, and hasn't yet seemed to impede the cooking. I do blanch the hocks first, and add them 15 minutes into the simmering.
At any rate, here's the way I cooked white beans last night:
1 lb. Great Northern beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 small stalks celery, chopped
1 to 1 and 1/2 pounds meaty ham hock/shank
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. (or so) fresh thyme leaves
tabasco to taste
salt/pepper
Soak the beans in water that covers them by several inches for at least two or three hours. You want to see some of the water absorbed. The more water absorbed now, the less you'll have to add during the cooking process, which will make it easier to end up with beans that aren't too soupy. Drain the beans, discarding any floaters, and cover again by an inch or so.
Cook the vegetables in bacon fat or oil, on medium-low heat, covered, until softened. Add the beans and water; there should still be enough water to cover the beans by an inch or so. You may, or may not need to add more water as the beans cook, depending on how much water they absorb. Add the bay leaf.
While the beans are coming to a simmer on medium-low heat, blanch your ham hock/shanks quickly to remove a bit of the salt, and some of the inevitable gunk (a technical, cooking term) that will coagulate on the surface later. Add them to the beans, and cook for an hour, then add the thyme, and continue to cook at a simmer for another hour or so. The total simmering time should be around 2 hours, but it will vary pretty considerably depending on how long you soaked, how "fresh" your beans were, and the Fed interest rate.
The result will be a little soupy, which is fine. If you prefer, you can mash some of the beans with a spoon, and stir to make a more creamy dish. Season with salt, pepper, and tabasco, and serve over rice. (Even if you don't like things spicy, add a little tabasco - the acid will cut some of the richness of the beans and the ham hock, trust me.)
Posted by Robert at April 25, 2004 07:59 AMHi, Robert, I'm a stranger who drops in from time to time. I enjoy hearing you hold forth on food. We've never met, but as a foodie who once spent time in both New Orleans and Louisiana, I feel a certain kinship to you. On the subject of beans, there is a way of reducing the undigested starches present in dried and cooked beans which cause gas. According to studies conducted by the Dept. of Agriculture, if one boils the beans for a couple of minutes, then lets them sit for an hour, then drain and start cooking them with fresh broth or water, 80 percent of those undigested starches are removed. I have tried it, and believe it to be true.
Cheers.
Posted by: r. Houston Bridges at April 25, 2004 11:08 PMThanks! I've read a lot of things about the gas-causing properties of beans, and what you've mentioned is probably the most common. I think it's true as well.
Another thing I've read, that I also believe (on the basis that it sounds reasonable) is that the problem can be avoided if you simply eat beans more regularly. Probably good advice, though I wonder about the frequency required?
Posted by: Robert at April 26, 2004 10:38 PMI used Mr. Bridges' method there and it works fine for me. But then I've used many other methods for dealing with beans and they all work fine for me. My wife however, won't touch them unless I've soaked them over night.
Another good use for beans? My wife uses them to help in making pie crusts ...
And yet another good use for beans? My son (who'll be 3 in June) loves to play with them. He likes to scoop, you see. The only problem is that when he's playing with his four pounds of lentils, all I can see is a big salad, or maybe a soup. Ah well.
Posted by: Robert at May 2, 2004 09:41 PMI am about to cook a pot of ham and beans, and my mom will be eating them. She is also one that wont touch them without them soaking for at least 12 hours. (overnite) I am going to try Mr Bridges method to see if it does indeed reduce the amount of starch and gas. wish me luck or read about my firey gaseous death in the newspapers lol
Posted by: Chuck at December 30, 2004 09:48 AMMy question is: Which type (or types) of white beans does better in soups, when you want the beans to remain whole, keep their shape, and not break down? Do some types tend to "melt" more than others? I am having trouble with white beans breaking down too much in soup, making the soup too thick and starchy.
Posted by: Ruth at March 7, 2005 09:52 AMI don't know one white bean from the next. I had a boyfriend's Mom who was from Louisiana make white beans with ham and a side dish of white rice. Even my little boys loved it. I've been making it ever since. 10 years ago now. I just boil the beans in a preasure cooker. Then I add ham(from scraps of a ham dinner). I add onions and dill, salt and pepper. I make rice and serve. The boys are now men and they still love it. Giselle.
Posted by: Giselle at April 15, 2005 09:00 PMHi from "Down the Bayou" Lafourche Parish, Louisiana. While I don't make it a habit to search for recipe's online occasionally I look for new ideas for a change in taste to my own typical Louisianne cuisine. So with what I just said, let me tell you some variations we spruce up our white beans and rice. First, Friday is the day we eat our white beans, (chuckle) don't ask me why but I'm sure it has something to do with the Catholic Religon. Mainly because we NEVER serve white beans unless we have fried fish too. Second, onions,garlic,and salt pork is a must. We boil the salt pork to rid the as much of the salt content as possible. About 30 min. Then slice into bite size pieces. about 1 1/2 lbs per 1 lb of white beans. Picking out prime salt pork is an art. The meat must be pink and meaty. Salt pork darkens rapidly in the store. So you want to buy it the day it arrives. Trim all the fat. We soak our beans in water for a couple hours then drain. And soak again. This time we soak overnight and boil in the same water. The longer you cook the beans on a low simmer/covered the more soupy it will become. Now with the fried fish done, the rice cooked and the beans somewhat soupy were ready to poke our feets under the table, roll our eyes and grit our teeth. But LAST, we have additional ways to spice up the white beans. Some people down here will put a dab of mustard in the bowl of beans. Some will use a pepper vinegar (homemade) and a dab of mayonaise. Some use Tabasco with mustard. But from what you can see....the use of vinegar is the idea. If you have questions or comments. Please email me at ash_trash75@hotmail.com concerning Cajun cooking. Ce'Bon
Posted by: Susan Brunet at July 14, 2005 12:42 PMWhat can you use other then pork to put in white beans please give some ideas I haven't cooked white beans I've always cooked brown beans........and what seasons are mostly used in white beans
Posted by: wendy at September 15, 2005 10:27 PMwendy asked about other meats besides pork when cooking beans. I find a nice smoked turkey wing works great. Try it!
Posted by: theresa at March 26, 2006 09:37 AM