486067 Sun Feb 03 21:36:58 -0800 2008 18 31 Home Cooking 0 3362480 Hello, ok I thought I found a great recipe that calls for using dry kidney beans for red beans and rice. http://www.gumbopages.com/food/red-beans.html but using dry kidney beans rather the regular dry red beans which are smaller. sounded odd to me and most other recipes seems to call for red beans. I am not experienced in cooking this type of food. For those of you that are, take a look at the recipe and let me know.. will kidney beans be ok? Thank You Happy Mardi Gras Sun Feb 03 21:36:58 -0800 2008 55499 soulimar 1 3363047 I make red beans and rice all the time, and generally use kidney beans- I always have them on hand, and they're easier for me to find. I've never had any trouble with them. Happy Mardi Gras to you, too! I'll be having a Mardi Gras Party this weekend (I know- it's late, but up here in NH, no one knows the difference, and I didn't want to conflict with the Pats big day... sigh). I'll be making jambalaya, gumbo z'herbes, red beans and rice with andouille sausage, and King Cake (Southern Living's recipe, with cream cheese filling). Good luck! Mon Feb 04 07:49:40 -0800 2008 3362480 62469 happybellynh 1 3363074 Kidney beans would be fine if you are in a pinch, but they have such a strong flavor. I think the smaller red bean or pink bean are a better combination with all the rest of what goes in the dish. You have to be careful with what I say though, because I have never really liked kidney beans to start with. fayefood.com Mon Feb 04 07:58:46 -0800 2008 3362480 37986 fayehess 1 3363111 Kidney Beans! Red Beans Serves: 6 "In all the ancient homes of New Orleans, and in the colleges and convents, where large numbers of children are sent to be reared to be strong and useful men and women, several times a week there appear on the table either the nicely cooked dish of Red Beans, which are eaten with rice, or the equally wholesome White Beans a la Crème, or Red or White beans boiled with a piece of salt pork or ham." -The Picayune Creole Cookbook 1900 Ingredients: • 2 cups large dried kidney beans • 6 cups water • 4 strips bacon, cut into inch pieces • 2 cups yellow onion, chopped • 1 cup bell pepper, chopped • ½ cup green onions, chopped • 4 sprigs of parsley, finely chopped • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped • 1 large smoked ham hock • 1 pound baked ham steak, cut into 1 inch pieces • 1 pound Andouille sausage, sliced ½ inch thick • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ground • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper • ⅛ teaspoon white pepper • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon Tabasco ® • 2 bay leaves Note: To reduce cooking time soak beans overnight in 4 cups water or put 2 cups of beans in a pot, cover with 4 cups water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes; remove from the heat, cover the pot and let stand for 1 hour. Method: 1. In a black cast iron pot, sauté the bacon until limp then add the onions, bell pepper, green onions, parsley and garlic. 2. Cook until onions are clear, about 5 minutes. 3. Add the beans, ham hock and ham to the pot and add enough water to make 6 cups. 4. Stir. 5. Add the seasonings and stir. 6. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours or until beans become tender and have made a thick sauce. 7. Stir to prevent scorching on bottom. 8. Add additional water to keep beans covered. 9. Serve over boiled rice with pickled onions. Mon Feb 04 08:07:45 -0800 2008 3362480 147713 speyerer 2 3364645 thanks guys! i am feeling better now lol. and the beans are a cookin' i am excited. this calmed my doubts a bit also http://redbeansandricerecipe.blogspot.com/2007/08/are-red-beans-and-red-kidney-beans-same.html Mon Feb 04 14:40:14 -0800 2008 3363111 55499 soulimar 3 3364887 Not sure where you got the idea that the "red bean" used in New Orleans was anything other than the red kidney bean. Maybe the Caribbean influence led people to refer to them as such but the bean of choice for classic Red Beans and rice has always been the red kidney in the city although, in Cajun country, you'll often find white beans, sometimes white kidneys, with rice or as a necessary accompaniment to Jambalaya. The red bean of choice is Camellia Brand, always impeccably fresh at any supermarket in the city because the turnover is extraordinary. People in NOLA actually eat RB&R every week and have for generations. http://www.camelliabeans.com/monday.html Mon Feb 04 15:48:15 -0800 2008 3364645 32444 MakingSense 4 3364903 very cool.. i got the idea because many recipes call for red beans not kidney beans. great tradition : ) Mon Feb 04 15:53:50 -0800 2008 3364887 55499 soulimar 4 3366940 What are White Kidneys, MS? Different from Navy beans? Tue Feb 05 10:14:56 -0800 2008 3364887 10651 bbqboy 5 3367236 Navy beans are a small white--AKA pearl haricot, Boston bean, and pea bean--used for cassoulet and Boston baked beans. The cannellino or fagiola is a white kidney larger and fluffier textured than the Navy--used for tonno e fagioli. Tue Feb 05 11:24:50 -0800 2008 3366940 36661 Sam Fujisaka 6 3367466 Thanks Sam. That's what I thought, but I never realized the regionalism of beans. :) Tue Feb 05 12:23:59 -0800 2008 3367236 10651 bbqboy 5 3367946 There's a variety of white runner bean that's often used in Cajun country. It's an heirloom that likely was brought by German settlers to South Louisiana. Phaseolus coccineus. Starchier than cannellini and much closer to the red kidneys that are used for Red Beans and Rice. Cannellini make a decent substitute though. There are 1000s and 1000s of bean varieties, often called "peas" in the South. Everybody has - and grows - their own favorites. Tue Feb 05 14:36:49 -0800 2008 3366940 32444 MakingSense 3 3365473 I think that red/pink beans are substituted for kidneys because some of the latter are too large and mealy. Perhaps there is a 'small' kidney bean variety traditionally used? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean#Kidney_bean As Wikipedia suggests, there is naming confusion. The regular 'red' beans in local stores look kidney shaped to me, not so some of the central american varieties recently arrived. In every soul food & Cajun place that I've eaten the beans are small. Mon Feb 04 19:39:36 -0800 2008 3364645 23712 DiveFan 4 3365597 This is the Camellia Red Kidney Bean, the traditional Red Bean of choice for most people in New Orleans. They are piled high in all the supermarkets. http://www.camelliabeans.com/kidney.html It is pretty large and "mealy" if you want to use that word. Most of us think that quality makes the liquid "creamy." Other people may use something else outside of the State of Louisiana. If they wonder why their Red Beans and Rice aren't like the one they ate in NOLA, maybe they're using the wrong kind of beans! Mon Feb 04 20:35:50 -0800 2008 3365473 32444 MakingSense 1 3365482 I have never seen any red bean other than kidney beans. Where have you found such? I live in a fairly Hispanic neighborhood, and I thought we had every kind of dried bean extant on our grocery shelves! Mon Feb 04 19:43:12 -0800 2008 3362480 52499 ChefJune 2 3365502 Azuki beans. Very common in Chinese and Japanese cuisine (esp. desserts). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azuki_bean Mon Feb 04 19:54:04 -0800 2008 3365482 11583 ipsedixit 2 3365986 There are hundreds of red bean varieties (all Phaseolus vulgaris). Colombians insist on a large roundish red. The red kidney bean itself comes in many varieties, ranging from dark pink to maroon. Tue Feb 05 05:30:33 -0800 2008 3365482 36661 Sam Fujisaka 1 3370784 I use red kidney beans. I've never looked for the actual red beans that are traditional. From what I've read the difference is negligable. Kidney beans are so easy to find. DT Wed Feb 06 12:14:55 -0800 2008 3362480 11291 Davwud 2 3372521 everything turned out great! props to gumbages.com lots of good knowledge there. here's my food pics http://flickr.com/photos/20537925@N03/sets/72157603861835699/ Wed Feb 06 22:48:38 -0800 2008 3370784 55499 soulimar 3 3372704 Nice feast. All looks too good. Someone posted K Paul's crawfish etouffee recipe on here and it's the one I use. It's awesome. DT Thu Feb 07 05:16:50 -0800 2008 3372521 11291 Davwud