Everybody around here has a Red Beans and Rice recipe, but I still get some blank stares when I ask how people make “White Beans”. That’s what we called it when I was a kid. It didn’t have a fancy cookbook name. I’m not sure if any restaurants serve it because I rarely go out to eat, but I’m sure someone in southeast Louisiana has it on a menu.
The recipe follows a similar process to the red version, and takes about as long (a half day simmer job). I make it with ham instead of andouille so it will taste less like Red Beans, but every home cook has their own way. It has great flavor, is cheap to make, and doesn’t take much time to prep. Since I work from home, slow cooking one-pot meals are my favorite for weekdays.
Ingredients
1 lb great northern dried white beans
3 lbs ham hocks, uncured (or 2 lbs cubed ham if you want less fat)
2 tbsp bacon fat (optional, but recommended if you have some around)
2 celery stalks, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bunch green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrot, diced
3 bay leaves
4” sprig fresh rosemary, (remove stem) chopped
Few sprigs fresh thyme, (remove stems) chopped
2 tsp Herbes de Provence seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tbsp salt
Tabasco (to taste, add at the end)
Serve with: White long grain rice and baguette or pistolettes
I don’t soak the beans overnight. That would take too much commitment. Think half-assed coon-ass.
Chop the yellow onion, celery, and carrot. I put them in the food processor then slice the green onions and mince the garlic separately.
Keep them an identifiable size. We’re not making baby food.
Go gather some bay leaf, rosemary and thyme from the garden and give them a quick rinse. Remove the stems from the rosemary and thyme and give them a rough chop.
Throw everything on the ingredients list (except a few of the green onions – and not the rice either dummy) into a big pot and fill with water until everything is covered up.
Bring to a raging boil and then lower to a simmer (a very low one). Now let it go like that uncovered for 3-4 hours, stirring occasionally, and adding water if it goes below the ham.
You’ll know it’s about done when the ham starts to fall off the bone.
Remove the bones and simmer until desired consistency (or smash some of the beans against the side of the pot with the spoon to make it thicker). I make it pretty thick so my preschoolers can eat it more easily. Also, give it a taste to see if it needs salt, more pepper, or a dash or so of Tabasco.
Plate it up over cooked white rice with a baguette or pistolettes on the side. Sprinkle some fresh green onions on top. Bon appétit.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Hungry now.
Muahahah!
If you find yourself downtown, Wille Mae’s serves this dish.
Good to know, thanks!
That’s interesting. I’m not sure I would have thought to put the carrots or the Herbes de Provence in there although I’m sure that works well. Usually when I make white beans I treat them just the same way I would red beans only I’ll use ham seasoning (or hamhocks like you do here) instead of pickled meat.
Unless you’re going someplace super-traditional or simple like Willa Mae’s you’re not likely to find white beans on a menu. On the other hand, they are a popular traditional New Orleans ingredient for contemporary places to riff on. Last week at Ancora, for example, we had a bruschetta with a white bean hummus-like paste. A few years ago, I enjoyed a shrimp-and-white-bean soup I had at Cochon so much I decided to try making it at home. Came out pretty well.
Some in my family used pickled meat, but I’m trying to get away from the preservatives. I made the other changes because I want it to taste more different than Red Beans if I’m going to bother cooking it at all.
So Shrimp in White Beans, eh? My palate is already confused, but I”d like to give it a try.
That’s a great recipe. I gotta try this one!