Authentic Louisiana Red Beans and Rice

"Cajun-country reviewer here to say this is about as authentic as it gets, though technically a Cajun home cook doesn't use recipes or measurements. According to Louisiana tradition this would be serv..." See moreed on a Monday -- supposedly an easy meal for laundry day because of the simmering time -- accompanied by sweet, plain, or cracklin' cornbread and a glass of iced sweet tea. Practically speaking, it's a tasty & inexpensive any-day meal. Oh, and, andouille is a cajun sausage made in Louisiana & pretty common in southeastern grocery stores; elsewhere, you might be able to find it in specialty stores or else ask if the manager of your grocery store can order it."

"The andouille is a MUST for this to be authentic, Jacob's world famous andouille ships and is worth it when you can't get it locally. Also try vegetable oil instead of olive oil, it gives a different ..." See moretaste and instead of cooking the garlic first, throw it in during the simmer process to avoid the 'nutty' flavor of it frying, increase the bay leaves to 4 or 5 and use oregano instead of sage & thyme. When completely cooked the beans should be very soft with a creamy consistency, use the back of a wooden spoon to smash some of the beans against the side of the pot as you stir them. EXCELLENT, also try serving with a bottle of pickled peppers at the table, sprinkle a little of the peppers vinegar on the beans for added spice."

"Everyone loved this. We made it vegetarian-friendly... instead of water, I used veggie broth; instead of sausage, I used veggie sausage crumbles. You couldn't even tell because there are so many yum..." See moremy flavors in this. I used more cajun seasoning and cayenne pepper than the recipe called for. I also used 4 cans of kidney beans rather than dried, and just added them when I added the sausage (I simmered the veggies in the broth with spices for about 1.5 hours, than added the beans and veggie sausage for the last half an hour)."