Your Leftover Ham Bone Is for Red Beans and Rice
The time between Christmas and New Year is strange. Things seem oddly festive and at the same time a little depressing, I never know what day it is and I’m so tired of eating. Not only am I tired of the holiday leftovers in the fridge, I’m tired of thinking about food in general. Obviously, the solution to my nutritional problems is more food, namely red beans and rice.
Planning elaborate dinners is such an important part of the holidays, and the only thing I want right now is a large pot of something soothing that can easily pop into my mouth. Red beans and rice are everything, plus they are a great remedy for your leftover holiday ham, bones, and everything else. It can also be done entirely in Instant Pot.
Like most bean and rice dishes, this one is deceptively simple, with a few non-negotiable. Yes, you need beans and rice, but you also need the holy trinity of bell peppers (I like red, but some insist on green), onions and celery, as well as some pork product and some cajun spices. The beans are cooked along with their fragrant friends until they start to fall apart. They are then served on top of rice, underneath, or mixed with rice to create a warming, simple dish that will energize you for the last part of this hellish journey around the sun.
Cooking the beans in an instant pot means you don’t have to soak them , which means you can get tender, tender beans filled with the goodness of pork ham in about an hour and a half. When the beans are done, you can cook the rice right in the liqueur pot, because using water when you can use ham broth would be very foolish. (After all is said and done, you will have a surplus of liquor; I suggest you save it for future rice.) To prepare this batch of warming miracle, you will need:
- Bone from leftover ham, plus about half a pound of ham (if you have no meat at all, use some tasso or anduy sausages, or skip the meat at all, if you like.)
- 1 lb. dried beans, rinsed and harvested
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 large onion, yellow onion, diced
- 2 stalks or celery, diced
- 2 bell peppers of the desired color, diced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon cajun spice, such as Tony Chachera
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 glasses of water (or more if needed to coat the beans)
- 2 cups white rice
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- Diced green onions for garnish
Remove as much meat from the ham as you can and set aside. If you don’t have half a pound of ham, add some andowi or tasso, or just don’t worry about it – the beans are the star. Rinse and collect the beans, then set them aside. Using the Sear function, melt the butter in an instant saucepan and heat it until it is nice and frothy. Add onion, celery and bell peppers and cook until vegetables are tender (about five minutes). Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes until flavor appears. Switch off the “Sauté” function by pressing “Cancel”. Add cajun spice and garlic powder, stir and add beans, ham and bones. Stir again, fill everything with water and add bay leaf. Close the pot and press “Manual” or “Pressure Cooking” depending on your model and cook under high pressure for 50-65 minutes, depending on how tasty you like the beans. (I love my toothless ones, so I wouldn’t blame you for wasting up to 70 minutes.)
When the cooking time has elapsed, manually release the pressure and drain the beans into a bowl. (Don’t throw it away!) Set the beans aside and return two cups of liquid to the instant pot along with two cups of (washed) rice. Close the pot again and cook under high pressure for three minutes. After the cooking time has elapsed, let the pressure drop naturally. (This will take about 15 minutes.)
While the rice is cooking, stir and mash the beans to your liking, add the parsley and season with more Cajun if necessary. If the beans are a little dry, add some of the delicious bean juice you squeezed out earlier. (Just make sure to toss the bay leaf.) When all the pressure is gone from the rice, open the instant pot, beat the rice with a fork, and serve with the beans you were thinking of . (I’ve seen them served with rice, no rice, and mixed with rice, so here you are. It tastes good no matter the configuration.) Garnish with green onions and get soothing.