This is a summer favorite! You can even bring your cast iron pan outside and place it on the grill. You'll see the smoke coming off the pan while these beautiful large shrimp cook. It's what I call "summer in pan" — crack open the beer you love and cook with it.
It's so easy to make while entertaining and everyone will be fighting over these shrimp. My grandfather, who lived on Louisiana's Mississippi border, used to make a killer pot of hearty, spicy, comforting red beans and rice when I was a kid. It's said that red beans and rice was traditionally made every Monday in New Orleans households because it was a delicious way to start the week using the pork bone or ham left over from Sunday night's dinner.
And Monday was typically laundry day, so this was an easy meal for hardworking women to put on the table. The thick, creamy bean dish is packed with flavor from the smoked andouille sausages and ham hocks, as well as the Cajun holy trinity of bell pepper, celery and onion. As it's a dish that's revered in both Cajun and Creole cuisine, every aspect of a red beans and rice recipe's authenticity is bound to be scrutinized, down to whether you should serve the rice on top of the beans, the beans on top of the rice or the two side by side (I like to mix them together).
High in protein, this dish makes a good main or side dish, and the beans go perfectly with simple fluffy white rice. The pineapple ginger lemonade has been such a hit at my rice bowl shop, Fieldtrip, for years. .
