Recipe #4 - Red Beans with Andouille Sausage

I haven't had much time to cook lately, at least not new stuff. It seems like we have been gone a lot over the past few weeks. But I have been diligently searching for new recipes. I have several picked out to try and Mark thought this one sounded good for a cold, snowy, wintery day (which, by the way, is the first day of Spring!)

You may recall in my list of criteria for recipes, I have to be able to pronounce the ingredients. Believe it or not, I actually can pronounce Andouille! Finding it was harder. I had almost decided that I would have to figure out some different type of sausage, when I spotted a man working in the meat department at the grocery store. So I asked him and he said that they had just started carrying it. He found it for me, and I was on my way! So here it is:

RED BEANS WITH ANDOUILLE SAUSAGE

Table of Contents:
-2 tsp. EVOO
-1 pound Andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 medium onion, diced
-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used the minced stuff in a jar!)
-1 pound dried, small red beans, soaked per pkg instructions and drained
-Salt, pepper

How To:
In large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage; cook until fat is released and sausage is slightly golden in spots, approx 10 minutes. (This sausage smells fantastic cooking!)

Remove sausage from pan. Add onion and garlic to pan; cook until softened, 3-5 minutes. Add beans and 4 ½ cups water; bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook until beans are tender; 1-1 ½ hours, adding more water if necessary. Stir in sausage and heat through. Season to taste.

The Result:
Yum!!! This was spicy and fantastic. It was sooooo good served up with a little cornbread on the side. This recipe is a keeper. Or, if nothing else, the sausage will make another appearance. But we can't eat it too often - 19 gms of fat in a serving of Andouille sausage. Ouch!!

(I just noticed as I was posting this - all of my new recipes that I have made so far have been served up in a bowl!)