My apologies to NOLA-phytes everywhere, but this is my blog and I can cook and write whatever I want.
So, Holy Trinity!
I'm making red beans and rice. And shrimp.
First, a little history on red beans and rice. I love it when my food comes with a history lesson.
When I think about red beans and rice, I think about New
Orleans cooking. Red beans and rice is a quintessential Nawlin’s dish.
What I’m doing is NOT that. I just happened to think about Creole, then basically
put a Colington spin on it and came up with Shrimp with Red Beans and Rice.
First the history: The New Orleans part. Red beans and rice Monday. Imagine, if you will, a more genteel New
Orleans of decades past. Monday is
laundry day. The women of the house do
their laundry on Mondays, so the Monday dinner is something that cooks itself,
by itself. The beans simmer slowly on
the stove top for hours on Monday while the dutiful housewives attend to their
wash. At some point, the “Holy Trinity”
was produced – diced onion, celery, and pepper.
A bone from Sunday’s meal was thrown in.
Some kind of meat was added, be it Andouille sausage or ham. Seasonings were added – bay leaf, herbs,
Tabasco or some type of hot sauce. And it
was served over rice. Louis Armstrong himself, as a nod to his
gustatory preferences, was known to sign his letters with, “Red beans and
ricely yours.”
Now the Colington
part: Rosie ain’t doin’ no stinkin’
wash on Mondays. That said, she will be
making Shrimp with Red Beans and Rice. But
it won’t be an all-day project.
Start with the beans.
One cup dried beans will yield three cups cooked beans. Measure accordingly. You can soak the beans overnight, but I never
do. I simply rinse my beans, then cook
for about two hours, refreshing the water a couple of times. Always test for taste and texture. I prefer my beans on the “toothy” side, or al
dente. If you like yours more tender,
cook longer. Season with kosher salt. Drain.
Next, the rice. Again,
the conversion factor is one cup dried rice equals three cups cooked. I used a combination of both white rice and
yellow rice since both were available.
Cook the rice and add to the beans.
Rosie's Beans and Rice and Shrimp
a yepsen of rice and beans
1 cup of The Holy Trinity
cumin
The Holy Trinity is the workhorse of the New Orleans kitchen. It's equal parts onions, celery, and bell pepper and it's the distinctive, aromatic, classic flavor base of Cajun and Creole cooking.
The trio should be finely chopped.
Melt 1 TB butter. Sauté the Holy Trinity until softened and fragrant - 2-3 minutes. Add another plug of butter, melt, and add the cooked beans and rice. Heat through and dust with cumin. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.
A yepsen, in case you didn't know, is a unit of measurement, and a fine one at that.
A yepsen denotes the amount that can be held in two hands cupped together.
Now, be sure to work that word into your conversation.
Next, prepare the shrimp. Peel
and de-tract the shrimp. I don’t say
“de-vein.” That line running down the
back of a shrimp is not a vein. It’s the
digestive tract. Remove it. Toss shrimp lightly with a Cajun or Creole
seasoning. You can use a prepared
seasoning or you can easily make your own.
Combine equal parts onion powder, granulated garlic, oregano, thyme,
parsley, paprika, cayenne, and ground pepper.
Taste test and give the shrimp a light sprinkle. I rarely add salt to shrimp. They’ve been living in the ocean and don’t
need it.
Heat one tablespoon each unsalted butter and peanut oil in
skillet over medium high heat. The
butter is for flavor; the oil is to raise the smoke point of the butter. When butter gets sizzly-wizzly, add shrimp
in a single layer. Cook, turning after
30 seconds, for about a minute.
Immediately remove from hot pan.
Plate the dish. Make
a bed of beans and rice, then deliciously nestle the shrimp on top. I like cilantro sprinkled over and if you’d
like some drops of Texas Pete or other hot sauce (Tabasco or Sriracha), I won’t
stop you.
His preferred serving method?
Wrapped up in a soft tortilla that's been charred a bit over an open flame.
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