Red Beans & Rice w/Kielbasa Sausage - Recipe #2
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Serves: about 8

Soak:  16-24 hours
Cook:  2-1/2 to 3 hours

1 lb. dried red beans
2 qts. cold water
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 lb. smoked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2" to 3/4" slices
1/2 lb. smoked ham, cubed
1/2 t. salt
freshly ground pepper, to taste (I like about 2 teaspoons)
2 t. thyme
1/4 c. bacon fat or olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
4-5 T. dried parsley, or use fresh chopped
1 or 2 T. hot pepper sauce

6 c. hot, cooked white rice

Place beans in large pot; add water.  Cover and soak overnight (up to 
24 hours).  Drain and rinse beans 2-3 times during soaking period, until 
water runs clear.  Always replace water with clear, cold water.

Drain beans, add 2 qts. fresh water and onion.  Bring pot to a boil, 
lower heat and cook 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until beans get tender.  Add
green pepper, sausage, ham, and salt.  Stir and add pepper, thyme, bacon
fat, and garlic.  Simmer about 30-45 minutes more or until beans are
soft and mixture is creamy.  Stir in parsley and hot pepper sauce about
5 minutes before finishing.  Turn off heat, cover, and allow to sit for
several minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, prepare rice according to package directions (note:  I like
to use reduced-fat chicken broth instead of water for a nice flavor).
It is always better to have lots of rice for this dish as guests will
usually ask for more!

To serve, arrange rice in ring around plate and spoon beans and
kielbasa into center.

NOTE:  You may prepare extra kielbasa to spoon over the top of the
servings.  Fry or saute the kielbasa pieces in a separate pan and
serve separately for guests if they want additional meat.

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VARIATION #1 FOR EXTRA SAUSAGE:

In small bowl, mix orange juice concentrate, water, and olive oil.  Heat
large frying pan over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes; reduce heat 
to medium.  Add 2-3 Tbsp. (approximately) of orange juice mixture to pan, 
heating for about 20 seconds before adding kielbasa sausage (depending on 
the size of your pan you may have to cook the sausage in batches).  Cook
sausage until lightly browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove
sausage and set aside.

Using a slotted spoon, mound beans in the center of a large serving platter.
Arrange rice around the edge of the platter; arrange some of the sausage 
slices on top of the beans.  Remainder of sausage should be served in a
separate dish at the table.