Red Beans and Rice with Cajun Andouille Sausage and Garlic Toast

 

I love red beans and rice with spicy hot Andouille sausage and garlic toast. I have a favorite lunch spot in Monterey California called Ferddies and I would order this dish everytime. I've made this dish a couple of dozen times over the years and I think I've got it to a perfect match to Ferddies.

The key ingredient is that it's got to be Bush's red beans. You can substitute other brands or even red kidney beans, but it won't be the same. Second is the pork fat, you've got to have some pork fat to make the dish work.

Historically red beans would be cooked for a long period of time with ham hocks for the pork fat. I've found that real bacon bits will get the job done with no additional cooking time. Lastly, the tobasco is what brings the whole dish together and you can add more or less depending on how hot you like it.

Ingredients:

2 cans Bush's red beans

2 tablespoons crumbled bacon

1 tablespoon tobasco

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 Aidells andouille sausages

1 cup white basmati rice

garlic toast - sour baggette, garlic, butter

Preparation: Rice

Start the rice off in a rice cooker first and it will be done just as everything else is coming together. 1 cup of white basmanti rice to 2 cups of water and teaspoon salt.

Preparation: Red Beans

Drain and rinse the beans and add to a sauce pan. Add 1 cup of water, bacon bits, tobasco and bring to a boil. Once heated take a large fork or potato masher and mash 1/2 of the beans. Mix in the olive oil and turn off the heat while preparing the rest of the dish.

Preparation: Garlic Toast

Cut a french baggette into slices and put on a baking sheet. Add butter and 3 cloves crushed garlic to a small microwavable bowl and cook in the micro for 30 - 40 seconds. Brush the garlic butter onto the sliced bread and bake in a 350 degree oven until golden brown.

Preparation: Sausages

The Aidel's suasages are already cooked so all you want is to heat in a suate pan until golden brown but not burnt.

To serve; take the red beans and spread out on the plate. Use a small bowl as a mold to put the rice on the plate. Add the sausage, garlic toast and you're done.