From Wikipedia:
Red beans and rice is an emblematic dish of Louisiana Creole cuisine (not originally of Cajun cuisine) traditionally made on Mondays with red beans,[1] vegetables (bell pepper, onion, and celery), spices (thyme, cayenne pepper, and bay leaf) and pork bones as left over from Sunday dinner, cooked together slowly in a pot and served over rice.[2] Meats such as ham, sausage (most commonly andouille), and tasso ham are also frequently used in the dish. The dish is customary – ham was traditionally a Sunday meal and Monday was wash day. A pot of beans could sit on the stove and simmer while the women were busy scrubbing clothes. The dish is now fairly common throughout the Southeast. Similar dishes are common in Latin American cuisine, including moros y cristianos, gallo pinto, and feijoada.
I found a recipe on the internet that according to people from Louisiana is very authentic. I was going to try to stick to the recipe, but as usual, modified it to make it how I wanted it. The recipe I based mine on can be found on AllRecipes.com. That recipe is named Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice and was written by someone whose username is Miami Beach. Here is my take on it, and a few notes at the end explaining the changes I made.
Ingredients:
1 pound of dry kidney beans (you can also use canned kidney beans, but make sure to drain and rinse them)
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped (I used a large white onion, but you could use a yellow onion if you prefer)
2 tbs minced garlic (I used three cloves of freshly chopped garlic)
2-3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped (I used a large yellow bell pepper because it was what I had)
6 cups of water
2-3 bay leaves
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I started with a tsp and added more to get the right amount of heat)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 tbs dried parsley (You can also use fresh chopped parsley if you have it)
1 tsp to 1 tbs Cajun or Creole seasoning (I used Cajun seasoning. See notes for description)
1 lb Andouille Sausage (You can use whatever kind of smoked sausage you prefer)
4 cups of water
2 cups of long-grain white rice
Directions:
1. If using dry beans, soak in a large pot of water overnight (if using canned beans, drain and rinse well)
2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add in the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and celery and sautee for 3-4 minutes
3. Add beans to a large pot with 6 cups of water on medium-high heat. Add the sauteed onions, garlic, celery, and bell pepper into the pot. Season with bay leaves, thyme, cayenne pepper, sage, parsley, and Cajun or Creole seasoning. Raise heat to high and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
4. Slice the sausage into about 1/4 inch thick pieces. Brown the sausage in a skillet. (You do not have to brown the sausage if it is fully cooked, but browning it brings out a lot of flavor in the sausage). Cover and refrigerate.
5. After 2 1/2 hours, stir the sausage into the beans and continue to simmer for 30 min.
6. Prepare the rice. In a saucepan, bring water and rice to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. (Follow the directions on the bag of rice for how much rice and water you need for the amount you want to cook.)
7. Ladle the beans over the rice, and enjoy.
Notes:
1. If you are going to use dry beans, soak them overnight. If you follow the quick soak directions on the bag, your beans will remain tough.
2. For my Cajun seasoning blend, I used 1/2 tsp of Kingsford Cajun Style Seasoning, 1/2 tsp of Weber N’Orleans Cajun Seasoning, 1/2 tsp of Blackstone Crazy Cajun Seasoning, and 1/2 tsp of Slap Ya Mama seasoning. I also added in a few dashes of the original Essence of Emeril seasoning.
3. I added in a couple of splashes each of the following; Frank’s Red Hot, Tabasco, and Louisiana Hot Sauce to kick up the heat a notch or two.
4. My broth seemed very thin, so I added a slurry of 2 tbs corn starch whisked into one cup of water to thicken it up. You can also remove a couple of tbs of the beans from the pot, mash them up, and add the resulting paste back into the pot.
5. I used two 12 oz. links of Andouille sausage rather than just 1 lb.
6. I used a 1 lb. bag of dry small red beans rather than kidney beans. That is what I had in the pantry. They worked just fine.