Instructions: Ive been puzzling over how to make red beans and rice taste good without traditional fat-ful methods (ham hocks, smoked ham, and smoked sausage). I reached back into memories of my youth in the Deep South of the U.S. and came up with four elements:
1. Wrights brand Liquid [hickory] Smoke

2. Collard greens

3. Spice mixes a la Zatarains crab boil

4. Long slow cooking

This recipe is the result. While it does not approach the wonderfully rich flavor of beans simmered with ham hocks and flavored with pounds of smoked sausage, it also doesnt approach the fat content, either. Neither does it suffer from the grape juice taste of Paul Prudhommes decidedly different version in "Fork in the Road".

Dont let my long-winded recipe fool you. This is one of those recipes that are great to prepare on cold winter weekend days, because once youve chopped the veggies it simmers on the stove for hours and makes the house smell good. In fact, I deliberately simmer this dish uncovered even though it means I have to keep adding water to it on a regular basis. It is a labor of love, and is worth it for the smells.

Id would
*really* love to hear about variations on this theme (I discuss them briefly at the end of the recipe).

Im not in the business of being a professional test kitchen, and must provide the family with some variety, so I just dont get to play with these as much as Id like. If you come up with a spice or ingredient variation that makes a nice rich red beans dish,
*PLEASE* post it or tell us all what you did. Thanks!

BTW, tonight Im having friends over, and this (sans rice)

will be the second course. For the first course Im trying a variation on sachi toyofuku (spinach flavored with soy, sesame, and sugar) that uses only about 1/10th the amount of sesame seeds as the previous version that we loved

(were talking 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds for 20 ounces of frozen spinach). If it succeeds, both in terms of tasting good in general and in terms of imparting at least some sesame flavor, Ill post it. The dish as Ive usually had it, made with over 1/2 cup of sesame seeds, is a long-time favorite of ours and it has been sorely missed. [Curtis]

1. Soak the red beans overnight. If possible, change the soaking water two or three times during the process.

2. Make a cheesecloth bag and place all of the spice bag ingredents in it. If using long pointed dried chiles, snap off the stems and tear them into small pieces so they dont poke holes in the cheesecloth. I used both chile pequin and chile de arbol, but next time I think Ill use a single dried habanero for a rounder flavor and heat.

3. Drain and rinse the soaked beans. In a large pot combine beans, onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and spice bag. Add enough water or vegetarian broth (preferably beef-flavored) to cover plus an extra inch or two.

NOTE: If your vegetarian broth powder contains salt, wait and add it after the beans are tender, at the same time that you add the Liquid Smoke (see step 5). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a very low simmer and allow to cook for hours (I cooked mine overnight). If you are simmering the beans uncovered, be sure to add water as needed during the cooking process. To proceed to the final step, the beans should be quite tender, and can be "falling apart" and soupy if you so desire - just make sure they dont stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.

4. Prepare the collard greens by cutting off the hard stems below the leaves. Wash the leaves very thoroughly to remove all grit, then tear them into approximately 2-inch pieces.

5. Remove the spice bag, squeeze as much liquid out of it as possible, and discard it. If you have delayed adding vegetarian broth powder until now so the beans would cook up tender, add it. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt (unless the broth powder has made the water salty already), the Liquid Smoke flavoring and the Worcestershire sauce (if desired). If necessary, add water to ensure that there is at least an inch of water above what is needed to cover the beans, and bring to a boil. Add the collard greens and mix thoroughly. Reduce heat, cover the pot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Adjust salt, pepper, and Liquid Smoke levels to taste and serve.

VARIATIONS: There are many variations on this theme; have fun with it.

As long as the basic core ingredients are maintained (red beans, onion, celery, green bell pepper, come kind of green leafy vegetable), there is much room to customize this dish. Here are just a few suggestions:

Spice Bag: Consider adding whole black or yellow mustard seeds, whole coriander seeds, or whole allspice. Sprigs of your favorite herbs might be nice (thyme, marjoram, oregano, lemon thyme, etc.) Stay away from the sweeter herbs (rosemary and tarragon in particular, possibly basil) because they will combine with the Liquid Smoke to produce a truly unpleasant taste in the final dish.

Spices: You might use tamari to replace some of the salt (but not until after the beans are tender!). A splash or two of balsamic vinegar might also be more to your taste.

Texture: If you desire a more stew-like consistency, remove about 1/3 of the beans/onions/celery/pepper mixture, puree it, and return it to the pot before adding the greens. In this case, you might also wish to cook the greens for a longer time so they are not fresh and chewy and thus conflict with the smoother texture of the pureed beans et. al.

Greens: I have a strong from-childhood bias towards collard greens, but there is absolutely no reason why mustard greens, chard, escarole, cabbage, or any other leafy green vegetable wouldnt work. Just be careful that the flavor of the greens does not overwhelm the dish - kale is especially dangerous here. If you choose to try spinach, consider adding some lemon juice just before serving to complement the sweetish nature of the spinach.

Serving Ideas : Serve as-is for a side dish, or over rice for an entree.

NOTES :
This recipe came about as a result of a first-winter-weekend morning craving for red beans and rice. The question I have tried to answer is: How does one make tasty semi-nostalgic red beans and rice
without ham hocks, ham, and smoked sausage?

This recipe scales
easily; my test batch was made by multiplying all ingredient amounts by 4.

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