Ingredients

3 cups or so of dried red kidney beans (or similar)

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 large or 2 small celery stalks, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

100g smoked sausage (andouille is traditional but if, like me, you can’t get it, something like Polish kielbasa or Spanish chorizo works well, or even some bacon in a pinch), sliced or diced

Water (or stock if you like)

2-3 bay leaves

A few dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 teaspoons of your favourite Creole Seasoning, or a pinch each of salt, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, dried thyme, dried parsley, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. Just add and taste as needed. You want a little bit of spice but not burning your mouth off.

Cooked long grain rice

A squeeze of lime, dash of hot sauce or wine vinegar, sliced scallions or chives, and/or torn parsley leaves to serve

Method

The day before soak the beans in a large bowl covered with water (they’ll double in size, so use enough water to cover them at least twice over) and around a tablespoon of salt per litre of water. When you’re ready to start cooking, drain and rinse the beans in fresh water.

Add a couple of glugs of oil to a large pot over a medium heat and add the meat. Brown it gently for a few minutes then remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.

Add the onion, bell pepper and celery and cook for a few minutes until it softens, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes more.

Add the drained and rinsed beans and stir to coat well. Add enough water to cover the beans three times over along with the bay leaves, Worcestershire Sauce and spice mix. You can use stock instead of water, but as you’ve a lot of flavour already it’s not really necessary, and may end up introducing a lot of salt.

Bring the pot to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Check it every half an hour or so, stirring to ensure nothing sticks. After an hour check a bean for doneness. If it’s still quite hard you’ll probably need another hour or so, if it’s starting to soften then less time will be required. If it’s getting dry add some more water in, you want the finished beans to have some sauce with them, not end up a pile of mush.

When it’s at the stage of almost doneness, add the cooked meat back in and stir.

Taste until the beans are at the desired doneness and adjust the seasoning if needed. Remove the bay leaves and scoop out a half cup of beans and mash them with a fork. Add back to the pot and stir through, leaving to simmer for a few minutes. This will help thicken the sauce. Stir in some parsley leaves if you have them.

Serve with a good spoonful of rice and your desired garnishes. As it’s a very rich and earthy dish I like to add a little something to brighten things up, like a side of salad or cooked greens dressed in olive oil and lime juice, or just garnish with some scallions, a squeeze of lime and some vinegary hot sauce.