Here’s a fresh twist on the classic Southern dish of red beans and rice. Bulked up with muscular red rice, this is very hearty—with the addition of a salad, it’s a meal in itself. The green peas add a burst of color, making this a visually attractive dish that looks good on a buffet. It is particularly tasty as an accompaniment to roast chicken or pork, or pork chops or a platter of roasted vegetables.
Yield : Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp (5 mL) dried thyme leaves
- ½ tsp (2 mL) salt (see Notes)
- ½ tsp (2mL) cracked black peppercorns
- ¼ tsp (1 mL) cayenne pepper
- 1 cup (250 mL) Wehani or Camargue red rice, rinsed and drained (see Notes)
- 2 cups (500 mL) water or reduced-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups (500 mL) drained, rinsed cooked or canned red beans (see Notes)
- 2 cups (500 mL) cooked green peas
Directions
1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat for 30 seconds. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and cook, stirring, until pepper is softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, salt, peppercorns and cayenne and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
2. Add rice and toss to coat. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and most of the water is absorbed, about 1 hour. Stir in beans and peas and cook, covered, until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Variation
Red Rice, Sausage and Beans: To turn this into a heartier dish, perfect for a pot luck or buffet, add 4 oz (125 g) diced kielbasa along with the peas.
Notes
If you’re using chicken stock rather than water to cook the rice, you may not need the added salt.
I like to use red rice, but brown rice or mixture of brown rice and wild rice would work well, too. The cooking time is the same.
You can cook your own beans or use 1 can (14 to 19 oz/398 to 540 mL) no-salt-added red kidney or small red beans, drained and rinsed.
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