Louis Armstrong's Creole Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Ricely Yours,

-- Louis Armstrong

That is how the Great Satchmo, Louis Armstrong, signed his correspondence. This signature was Armstrong's nod to one of his most favorite dishes, red beans and rice. This dish has a long history in New Orleans, Louisiana, where Louis Armstrong was born and raised. It was often deemed the dish for Monday dinners, a simple one to prepare while engaged in a long day of work. One could simply get the pot going, leave it alone for a few hours, and return to finish preparing the meal. 

The highlighted ingredient of this dish - red beans - has a very special place in the cuisine of New Orleans. Indeed, the Crescent City is really a red bean city, in the words of Willie May Seaton, of the famous Scotch House.  The Federal Writers Project - which I have posted about before - likened the red bean in New Orleans to the white bean in Boston or the cowpea to any city in South Carolina. 

The one indisputable fact is that Red Beans and Rice not only had a place in the correspondence of Louis Armstrong, but also in his heart. Patrick Jarenwattananon once wrote about Armstrong's love for the dish in an article for National Public Radio. He quoted from Armstrong's own work, In His Own Words: Selected Writings (ed. Thomas Bros. 1970), in which Louis recounted the dish prepared by Lucille, who he would later marry: 

The Red Beans + Rice that Lucille cooked for me was just what the Doctor ordered. Very much delicious and I ate just like a dog. I said forgive me after I had finished eating. I just had to make some kind of excuse. She accepted it very cheerful. Because I am sure that Lucille has never witnessed any one Human Being eating so much. Especially at one sitting. I had her to save the rest of the beans that was left over. Then I'd come another time and finish them. We commenced getting closer 'n' closer as time went by. 

I guess one could say that Louis Armstrong's love of this one dish led to the greater love of his life.

The special place of Red Beans and Rice led those close to him to memorialize the dish for posterity. In fact, one can find numerous pages that include the recipe, which is set forth to the right. 

I decided that I would make this dish, principally because of my love of Louis Armstrong's music. It is that love that led me to use salt pork (which I generally avoid for health reasons) and ham hocks (which, I'll be honest, I had not used in cooking before). Yet, with Louis Armstrong's songs playing in the background, I assumed the role of a cook, trying my best to recreate the recipe that would have been prepared for the Great Satchmo. That's when I remembered one important thing about recipes: they may list all of the ingredients and provide the directions, but recipe's rarely capture the cook's special touch. The knowledge of exactly how long to let things simmer, how to eyeball salt to get the right "taste," and other aspects that one develops as they make the dish over and over again over time. 

My first effort to make Louis Armstrong's Red Beans and Rice was a success in my humble opinion. I made a tasty dish that may not have gotten Pop's attention, but it definitely made a few great meals for me.

CREOLE RED BEANS AND RICE

Recipe from Louis Armstrong

Serves 4-6

Ingredients (for beans):

• 1 pound kidney beans
• 1/2 pound salt pork (strip of lean, strip of fat, slab bacon may be used if preferred)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (if desired)
• 6 small Ham Hocks or one smoked pork butt
• 2 onions diced
• 1/4 green bell pepper
• 5 tiny or 2 medium dried peppers
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• Salt, to taste

Ingredients (for rice)

• 2 cups white rice
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Prepare the beans. Wash beans thoroughly, then soak overnight in cold water. Be sure to cover the beans. 

2. Cook the beans without ham hocks. To cook, pour water off beans, add fresh water to cover. Add salt pork or bacon, let come to a boil over full flame in covered pot. Turn flame down to slightly higher than low and let cook one and one-half hours. Add diced onions, bell pepper ,garlic, dried peppers, and salt. Cook three hours. Add tomato sauce, cook one and one-half hours more, adding water whenever necessary. Beans and meat should always be just covered with water, never dry. 

3. Cook the beans with ham hocks or pork butts. Wash meat, add water to cover and let come to a boil in a covered pot over medium flame. Cook one and one-half hours. Then add beans (pour water off, add rest of ingredients to meat. Cook four and one-half hours. Add water when necessary. 

4. Prepare the rice. Wash rice thoroughly, have water and salt come to a boil. Add rice to boiling water. Cook until rice swells and water is almost evaporated. Cover and turn flame down low. Cook until rice is grainy. To insure grainy rice, always use one and one-half cups water to one cup of rice.

PEACE.

Chef Bolek's Oyster Stew 2019

A little more than one year ago, I first encountered the Oysterfest.  A festival surrounding the oyster, the iconic shellfish of the Chesapeake Bay (and, yes, elsewhere, but as someone in the Delmarva, there is only the Bay). The very first thing that I did was serve as one of 500 judges in a taste testing of oyster stews.  I did a post about that experience, which you can find here.  I had such a great time trying the different entries of oyster stew, that I decided to make my own Chesapeake Oyster Stew.

One year later, I returned to the Oysterfest, ready to serve as a judge at the oyster stew competition.  There were only four contestants this year.  Oyster Stew A was very good, but it was lacking a little something in my opinion, although it is hard to explain what exactly was that "something."  Oyster Stew B was very good, and, it helped that I got a few full oysters that I was able to enjoy along with a slight kick in the background of the stew.  Oyster Stew C was good, in that it had the smoky notes that one can get using bacon.  The big drawback was that no one skimmed off the grease, which left a reddish film on the top of the stew. Oyster Stew D was somewhat avant garde, relying upon the flavor of the oyster liqueur than the oysters itself.  Overall, I decided that Oyster Stew B was the best.  As for all of the other judges, a majority chose Oyster Stew A.

After that event, I was inspired to create a new oyster stew for 2019.  I decided to draw from the avant garde nature of Oyster Stew D, but to use actual oysters.  I wanted to make an oyster stew without cream or milk.  That is truly thinking out of the box as that cream or milk is a fundamental characteristic of this type of stew.  The substitute came in a triumverate of liquids.  First, I decided to use white wine, and, in this case, a Chardonnay. The best wine would be an unoaked wine or a slightly oaked wine (which is what I used).  Second, I decided to use clam juice, which gives a taste that works well with seafood soups. (It is great when one cannot find seafood stock.)  Third, I did what every self-respecting cook does when making oyster stew, I used the oyster liqueur. 

The one other major change that I did is to use ham hocks, as opposed to bacon.  The difference is significant because, due to the high salt content of a ham hock, there is not as much grease in the pan as with bacon.  I crisped up the pieces of ham hock to provide some texture elements in the soup, but I had to add a little oil to prevent everything from simply burning.  

In the end, this so-called "avant garde" style of oyster stew was a great experiment.  The only thing that was missing is what I love in oyster stews ... that slight hint of smokiness that comes from the use of bacon.  Perhaps it will find its way back into the Chef Bolek's Oyster Stew 2020. 

CHEF BOLEK'S OYSTER STEW 2019

A Chef Bolek Original

Serves 4

Ingredients:

16 ounces of oysters, with liqueur reserved

1 cup finely diced onion

1 cup finely diced celery

1 cup of red potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup of clam juice

1 cup of white wine, such as Chardonnay

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
2.5 ounces of ham hock (wiping off most of the salt), diced
3 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
1.  Saute the ham hocks and vegetables.  Add the oil and heat a medium sized pot on medium high.  Add the ham hock and saute, stirring occasionally, until it begins to crisp.  Add the onions, celery, potatoes, bay leaves and thyme.  Continue to saute until the onions become translucent, and the celery and potatoes begin to soften, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add more oil if the bottom of the pot becomes dry to avoid burning the ingredients.

2.  Add the liquid.  Add the wine and stir the ingredients.  Then add the clam juice and the oyster liqueur and stir again.  Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat.  Continue to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.

3.  Add the oysters.  Add the oysters to the stew.  Cook for about three to five minutes until the oysters are opaque.  If your guests want their oysters cooked a little more, let it go for an additional minute or two.

4.  Finish the dish.  Pour the stew into individual bowls.  Add a few oysters to each of the bowls.  Serve immediately.

ENJOY!