Recipes from today's show..Red Beans & Rice! Enjoy :)

RED BEANS & RICE

TOMATO, CUCUMBER & ONION SALAD

OLD-FASHIONED CORN BREAD

NEW ORLEAN’S STYLE PRALINES

Tomato, Cucumber and Onion Salad

3 large tomatoes or 6 small, chopped

1 onion, sliced

1 large cucumber, diced

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup vinegar

3 T sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate at least 2 hours.  The longer it sits, the better.

RED BEANS & RICE WITH SMOKED SAUSAGE & HAM

1 (16-ounce) bag dry light or dark red kidney beans

1 (16-ounce) package smoked turkey or beef sausage, sliced or quartered (I use Conecuh)

1 ham steak, cubed

1 tablespoon olive oil plus 1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, chopped

1 bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons each of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (taste and add more if needed)

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning (add more if needed)

Water

Hot cooked rice

Pour red beans into a large pot and cover with water.  Place the lid on the pot and let them soak overnight or at least 8 hours.  Pour the soaked beans out into a colander and rinse and drain well, picking any bad beans out.  Set to the side.  In the large pot, heat olive oil and butter and add sausage and ham.  Sauté over medium heat or until sausage is browned.  Watch closely J Remove the sausage and ham with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Sauté the veggies in the leftover oil from the sausage and ham until they are very brown and soft.  Next, add the sausage, ham and beans to the veggie mix.  Add enough water just to cover the beans-about 3 to 4 cups.  Add all seasonings and bring to a boil.  Once it comes to a boil, turn the heat to very low or simmer mode and cover.  Cook for 1 ½ hours or until beans are soft.  It’s very important that you taste this as you make it so you can add more seasonings if you desire J The Friday Fam likes it spicy!  If you prefer a thicker sauce, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to ½ cup cold water.  Stir well and stir into the bean mixture.  Serve over hot rice and a slice of cornbread.  Pepper sauce sprinkled over the beans and rice is oh, so delicious, too!

OLD-FASHIONED CORNBREAD

A black skillet is a must for this recipe J

2 cups self rising cornmeal

2 tablespoons vegetable oil + 1 ½ tablespoons more

3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ cups whole milk or buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

Place the 1-½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a black skillet and heat on a burner for 2 to 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining ingredients together well.  Turn the heat off the skillet and carefully pour the cornmeal mixture over the hot oil.  Place in a 425 oven for 25 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

PRALINES

1 ½ cups sugar

¾ cup dark brown sugar

½ cup whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons real butter

1-½ cup pecans, rough chopped

Lay out wax paper and a tablespoon on your countertop before getting started on the pralines.  Next, combine all the ingredients in a 4-quart saucepan.  Heat over low heat, stirring often until butter is melted and sugars are dissolved.  Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to medium high –letting the mixture continue to boil for exactly 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.  It will bubble up pretty high, so never leave it even just for a second.  After 3 minutes of boiling and stirring, remove the pot from the heat and stir constantly for 2 minutes.  It will start to thicken.  Now (using a tablespoon that you would eat soup with) drop onto the wax paper, working quickly.  Let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.  This recipe makes 12-14 pralines.  These are delicious by themselves or broken over vanilla ice cream J  Caution:  Be very careful when making these as the candy mixture becomes scalding hot and be mindful of the weather.   Really humid days can make these difficult to set.