6 c water ½ c finely chopped onions
1 pound dried small red beans, or 1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1 pound dried red kidney beans 2 one-pound smoked ham hocks
4 T butter 1 tsp salt
1 c finely chopped scallions, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
including 3 inches of the green 6 to 8 cups freshly cooked
tops long-grain rice
------------------------------
In a heavy 3- to 4-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil over high
heat. Drop in the beans and boil briskly, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Then
turn off the heat and let the beans soak for 1 hour. Drain the beans in a
sieve set over a large bowl; measure the soaking liquid and, if necessary,
add more water to make 4 cups. Set the beans and liquid aside.Melt the butter in a heavy 4- to 5-quart casserole set over moderate heat. When the foam begins to subside, add ½ c of the scallions, the onions and the garlic and, stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, or until they are soft and translucent but not brown.
Stir in the beans and their liquid, the ham hocks, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for about 3 hours, or until the beans are very soft. Check the pot from time to time and, if the beans seem dry, add up to 1 c more water, a few tablespoonsful at a time. During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, stir frequently and mash the softest beans against the sides of the pan to form a thick sauce for the remaining beans.
With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer the ham hocks to a plate. Cut the meat away from the bones and remove and discard the skin, fat and gristle. Cut the meat into ¼-inch dice and return it to the beans.
Taste the red beans for seasoning and serve at once, directly from the casserole or from a large heated tureen. Place the rice and the remaining ½ c scallions in separate bowls and present them with the beans. Serves 4 to 6.
NOTE: In Louisiana, red beans and rice are traditionally made with a leftover ham bone, and you may substitute a ham bone for the ham hocks in this recipe. Without trimming off the meat, cut the bone into 2- or 3-inch pieces with a hacksaw, so that the marrow inside the pieces will melt and flavor the beans. Add the pieces of bone to the soaked bean mixture and pour in enough additional water to cover them completely. When the beans are cooked, remove the bones from the pot, trim off and dice the meat, and return it to the beans. Discard the bones.
½ pound chicken gizzards, seeded, deribbed and coarsely
thoroughly defrosted if frozen, chopped
trimmed of excess fat and ½ c coarsely chopped celery
coarsely chopped 2 T olive oil
½ pound chicken livers, 1½ tsp salt
thoroughly defrosted if frozen, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
and coarsely chopped 1 c uncooked long-grain white rice,
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and not the converted variety
coarsely chopped 2 c water
1 large green pepper, stemmed, ½ c finely chopped parsley
--------------------------
Put the chicken gizzards, chicken livers, onions, green pepper and celery
through the finest blade of a food grinder. In a heavy 4- to 5-quart
casserole, heat the olive oil over moderate heat until a light haze forms
above it. Add the ground chicken mixture, stir in the salt and black pepper,
and reduce the heat to low. Stirring occasionally, cook uncovered for about
1 hour, or until the bits of chicken are richly browned.Meanwhile, place the rice in a heavy 1-quart pot, stir in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid in the pan and the grains are tender. Remove the pan from the heat and let the rice rest, still tightly covered, for 10 minutes or so.
When the chicken mixture has cooked its allotted time, fluff the rice with a fork and add it to the casserole. With the fork, toss the rice and the chicken mixture together gently but thoroughly.
Taste for seasoning and stir in the parsley. Mound the dirty rice on a heated platter or in a heated serving bowl and serve at once. Serves 6 to 8.
