Red beans¶
Medium, Leftovers, Freezes, Vegetarian
Source: Adam Ragusea [1]
Ingredients¶
Red beans, like kidney beans, but the smaller ones are better
Steps¶
Soak the beans overnight, with salt for firm beans, with baking soda for soft beans. Discard the water and rinse them again before cooking.
Chop all the vegetables into medium-small pieces. In a large pot, fry the vegetables in olive oil. When soft, add two tablespoons of tomato paste and stir vigorously. Watch out for burning, and after a couple of minutes add the beans, along with water to cover them. Season with paprika, smoked paprika, and some dry herbs. Usually mostly sage, but also a bit of cumin and oregano.
Note
A small amount of any smoked meat can also be used for flavoring.
Let it simmer for around 45 minutes. Be conservative about adding more water. Towards the end, adjust the salt, and add just a small amount of sugar and vinegar. The beans will be a bit harder and the sauce a bit thicker once cooled.
Serve with rice and some spicy sauce like tabasco or siracha.