Turns out one of the grocery store casualties in my part of Hawaii is the availability of dried beans other than lentils, black-eyed peas, and 15-bean (soup) mix. I had a bunch of leftover stuff I wanted to put into red beans for a small gathering this weekend so I decided to buy the 15-bean mix and treat it like red beans to start, correcting later if it didn’t work.
Ingredients (photo below) included the beans, some leftover tasso, ribs, andouille, Conecuh sausage, plus trinity, Cajun seasoning, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, Krystal, bay leaves, and chicken stock.
Got out the Instant Pot, sautéed the sausage and then trinity & garlic, added the other stuff and pressure-cooked on High for 20 minutes.
Took out the bay leaves and the ribs, slid the rib meat off the bones, chopped it roughly, and returned to the pot.
Taste-tested a small portion on some (also leftover) rice and have to admit it came out better than expected. Not red beans, but good beans nonetheless. Even SWMBO liked them (after she ate “around” the sausage – Conecuh & andouille aren’t her faves). Looking forward to an overnight “meld” and then serving with some chopped green onions and parsley garnish and a side of cornbread. Life is good.
