slow cooked red beans and rice

my mom made red beans and rice all the time when i was young. i'm not exactly sure all the ingredients she put in it, but i know she always had a turkey leg or wing around. my mom put turkey meat in everything! her greens, beans, peas, soups...my mom loved the way it would flavor everything so well. now, i have to admit, i thought about using only the wing. i couldn't decide whether of not to add the sausage with the wing. so, i tasted the beans after they were tender to see if it needed a little bit more love. i thought it did, so i added the sausage. of course, it made the hubby a bit more happier, with his meat eatin' tail. anyway, we lapped down these beans and rice with a pan of my homemade buttermilk cornbread. i think i made my mom proud!
ingredients:
- 5 cups chicken stock - *i used bouillon based
- 1 smoked turkey wing -
- 1 lb of dried red beans -
- 1/2 bell pepper - chopped
- 1 onion - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 celery stalks - chopped
- 2 bay leaves -
- 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning -
- 1 tablespoon canola oil -
- 1 (14 ounce package) pack andouille sausage -
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch -
- 3 tablespoons water -
instructions:
- place the beans in a large bowl. fill the bowl with water several inches over the beans.
- allow to soak overnight.
- place all the ingredients (except the sausage/cornstarch and water) in a crock-pot and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for around 7 hours.
- mix together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. set aside.
- preheat a pan over medium high heat with the canola oil. once hot, all the sausages. brown the sausages on all sides. remove the sausage from the pan to a cutting board. chop into bite size discs.
- add the sausages and it's juices into the crock-pot along with the reserved cornstarch mixture. taste, season with salt/pepper to taste (if needed).
- cook for another hour on high, stirring in between as the cornstarch thickens the mixture.
- serve over rice and/or with a pan of my homemade buttermilk cornbread.
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