Red beans and rice, a Southern staple

In case you are not familiar with your Southern culinary lore, I will recount here for you the origins of red beans and rice.

In the past, certain days of the week were set aside for certain activities.

In some places Thursday was the day to transact business, such as the buying and selling of land. Saturday was the day to hitch the wagon and go to town, usually the county seat, but Monday was wash day.

Wash day meant you were going to be tied up all morning tending a big fire, boiling water, washing clothes and hanging them on the line to dry. There would be little time to run back and forth to the kitchen.

A big pot of dried beans, that had soaked overnight, could be put on the stove, along with some smoked ham hocks or sausage, and allowed to cook unattended. Rice could be steamed just before lunch time, it only takes 20 minutes, so a great, hearty meal could be prepared and required little attention from the cook.

There are many variations on the basic recipe that are worth a look. A Cuban influence can be seen in the recipe that calls for black beans, ham, lots of garlic and maybe a pinch of cumin.

Any kind of beans you want to use would be just fine: red, black, great northern or even fresh field peas. If you use black-eyed peas then you are getting close to making hoppin' john, the low country favorite.

For that meat component ham, sausage or roasted pork of any kind works just as well. If you are in a hurry, maybe a few days away from pay day, or feeding a bunch of hungry kids, even hot dogs would be OK, although not highly recommended.

The combination of rice, beans and a meat is a good idea. It meets the basic criteria of being delicious, inexpensive and not burdensome to make. Give it a try any time, not just on Monday.

Substitute any bean you like in any of the following recipes. They all work well. If you are in a hurry use canned beans, just be sure to wash the goop off first. Obviously fresh beans and

peas are best, followed by dried, then canned.

SIMPLE RICE

There is nothing wrong with plain, steamed rice to go with your beans. But then again on occasion you might want something a little different, something with a bit more gusto. Try this recipe next time you are in that mood.

1 cup rice

2 cups chicken stock

3-4 cloves chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped canned green chiles

Sauté the garlic is 3-4 tablespoons of oil, just until fragrant. Add the rice and stir to coat for about 2 minutes. Combine the rice, garlic, chiles, and stock, place in rice cooker, or pot with a lid and cook for 20 minutes.

BASIC RED BEANS AND RICE

1 pound dried red beans

1 cup chopped smoked sausage

1 chopped yellow onion

3/4 cup chopped bell pepper

2 bay leaves

4-6 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup cooked rice

2 cups water or chicken stock

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes

Soak the beans overnight in water, drain the next day and set aside. Sauté the sausage in a little oil until well browned, remove and set aside. Add the onion and bell pepper to the same pan and cook, along with a pinch or two of red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add the chicken stock and bay leaf and simmer until flavorful. Add the beans and sausage and simmer until tender. Plate the beans, add a big dollop of rice and serve piping hot.

CUBAN INSPIRED EASY BLACK BEANS AND RICE

2 cups cooked black beans

1 cup roasted pork or chopped ham

1 small chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

4 cloves chopped garlic

2 cups chicken stock

2 pinches cumin

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon Adobo

1 cup cooked rice

Sauté the onion and bell pepper in a little oil, along with the cumin, bay leaf, and Adobo, for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Add 1/2 cup cooked beans and the stock, and simmer until the beans start to break down. Add the rest of the beans and simmer 10 minutes more. Add the roast pork, and cook 10 minutes more again. Plate the beans, garnish with the rice and serve hot. For something a little different, add a few cubes of fresh pumpkin when you add the roast pork.

Julian Brunt, who comes from a family with deep Southern roots, writes the Coast Cooking column that appears in Wednesday's Sun Herald and for a blog at sunherald.com. He is a food writer and photographer with regular columns also in magazines.

This story was originally published February 11, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Red beans and rice, a Southern staple ."