Aromatic African Red Beans Food

AFRICAN BEANS

Steps:

• Cook dry beans according to instructions on packet. (No need with canned beans).
• Sauté onions until they are soft and clear.
• Add tomato paste, coconutcream and seasonings, stirring over a gentle heat until they form a smooth and creamy sauce.
• Drain beans and add to sauce. Allow to simmer gently for 15 minutes or so, stirring from time to time.
• Serve on brown or white rice accompanied by a salad.

RED BEANS

Steps:

• Soak beans overnight; drain.
• Chop meat; brown in oil.
• Add vegetables and garlic to meat; brown.
• Add spices; brown.
• Add beans and tomatoes and stock.
• Simmer till thick and beans are soft, 2-4 hours.
• Serve with rice.

AFRICAN RED BEANS

Steps:

• Soak the beans overnight in 2 quarts of water. OR you could quick soak them by putting the beans into a heavy pot and cover with 2 quarts of water, bring to a boil and boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and let the beans soak, uncovered for 1 hour.
• Bring the pot of soaked beans to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Add 1/4 C of the onion and simmer, partly covered, about 1 hour, or until the beans are tender but not mushy. Drain the beans and set them aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil until it is hot but not smoking. Saute the remaining cup of onions until soft and translucent but not brown. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, cayenne pepper, white pepper and salt. Stirring frequently, simmer the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the beans and cook, uncovered, for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

AROMATIC AFRICAN RED BEANS

Steps:

• Pick through beans to remove any bad ones. Soak in plenty of water, overnight if possible (about 6 hours minimum). Don't add salt at this stage, it will only make the beans tough.
• Ready to cook - drain and rinse the beans thoroughly then place them in a large pot with the 8 cups of fresh water, the onion, celery, and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Cook over low heat for about an hour or until the beans are tender.
• Stir and mash beans against side of pan, leaving some whole.
• Add green pepper, garlic, parsley, thyme and seasonings to taste. Cook uncovered over low heat until almost creamy for about 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves before serving over some hot cooked brown rice.

WASH DAY RED BEANS

Steps:

• Wash and sort the beans.
• In a large soup pot cover the beans with water and bring to a rolling boil.
• Turn off the heat and let rest 2-3 hours.
• Drain and rinse the beans.
• Return the beans to the pot and add 8 cups water, add a few pinches of pepper, the thyme, and bay leaves and bring to a slow boil. *Don't add salt at this point, wait until the beans have cooked through or else the beans will stay hard.
• In the meantime, saute the vegetables in the olive oil until soft, about 10-15 minutes.
• Add to the pot and stir.
• After the beans have cooked at least 30 minutes, return saute pan to the heat and saute the meats, adding more olive oil if needed.
• When the sausage and ham bits are cooked and crisping up a bit add that to the bean pot.
• Return the saute pan once again to the heat and add the consomme, stirring and scraping up the flavorful bits.
• Pour all of that into the bean pot and stir.
• Add the whole can of tomatoes and stir.
• Let simmer on low for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally until the beans are just right.
• Season with salt, pepper, & hot sauce to taste.
• I will then mash some of the beans to achieve my desired thickness and then add my secret ingredients: the ketchup and the butter! Shhh.
• Stir, taste and reseason.
• Serve in bowls over steamed white or brown rice.

NOT YO' MAMMA'S RED BEANS

Steps:

• Day 1: Rinse beans, place in a medium bowl and add enough water to cover by 3 or 4 inches. Soak overnight in the refrigerator. As the beans absorb the water, they will more than double in volume.
• Day 2: Combine the first 9 ingredients in a small bowl. Drain and rinse the beans. Drain again and set aside.
• Preheat a heavy 5-quart pot, preferably nonstick, over high heat for about 4 minutes. (If using a lighter pot, use lower heat.) Add 2 cups of the onions, bell pepper, celery and 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix. Stir and cook until vegetables start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock, scrape the bottom of the pot to clear all browned bits, and cook 3 minutes.
• Add the remaining onions, stir, and cook 5 minutes. Add the drained beans, 5 cups of the stock, and the remaining seasoning mix.
• Stir and cook for 45 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally to check for sticking and reducing heat if mixture is boiling too rapidly. Add 1 cup grape juice and continue to cook for 25 minutes. Caution: At this point, the starches in the beans start to break down and sticking will occur more often. It is therefore important to check and clear the bottom of the pot frequently. Add the remaining stock and grape juice, turn the heat to medium, and cook until the beans are tender, and the liquid is thick and begins to look creamy, about 30-35 minutes.
• Serve over rice.