Cajunandcreole - Beans - Teresa's Red Bean And Rice

1 lb. dry red kidney beans
2 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Tabasco
1 qt. water
1/2 lb. fully cooked ham, diced
1/2 lb. fully cooked andouille or smoked sausage, diced
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, to taste*
Hot cooked rice
Tabasco, to pass with individual servings


Place beans in a Dutch oven or kettle; add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil; boil for two minutes. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Drain beans and discard liquid. Add garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute' ham and sausage until lightly browned. Drain. Brown ground beef and drain. Add meats to bean mixture. Saute' onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic in a bit of olive oil or butter until tender; add to bean mixture. Stir in bay leaves. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until beans are tender. Discard bay leaves. Measure 2 cups of beans; mash and return to the bean mixture. Stir in parsley and Tony Chachere's. Simmer another five minutes. Serve over rice with hot crusty French bread and put the Tabasco on the table so folks can heat up their own servings as desired.

Yield: 8-10 servings

*If Creole seasoning is not available in your grocery store, you can make your own by combining:

1 (26 oz.) carton of salt
3 T black pepper
2 T garlic powder
1 t onion powder
1 t nutmeg
2 T parsley flakes (crunched)
4 T ground red (cayenne) pepper
2 T chili powder.


Store in an airtight container.

To Freeze: This dish freezes well. You can make the rice before freezing, and simply stir it into the beans. When ready to reheat, bring to room temperature. Remove the amount you want to reheat, and put it in a saucepan with enough water to make it slightly soupy. Heat to serving temperature.