After all the rich holiday party food, we thought you might like a simpler but still protein-rich black beans and rice dish, especially since you can make it with products grown right here in Missouri.

Photo By Andrew Barton

Way back in 2008, our food writer spent two weeks in the winter trying to eat only foods produced here in Missouri. She succeeded, and this Black Beans & Rice dish was adapted from Emeril’s New Orleans Cooking book, by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, in 1993.

Here’s how chef and now cookbook author herself, Nina Furstenau, adapted his recipe with locally grown beans and rice.

I adapted Emeril’s Red Bean Sauce recipe to Black Beans and Rice to fit available Missouri products. I used non-local spices, onions, and green chilies and skipped the jalapeño peppers. I substituted Bellews Creek Farm (Hillsboro, Mo.) black beans and served the sauce over Jasmine rice from Martin Rice Co. (Bernie, Mo.)—Nina Furstenau

Original Recipe:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup onion, chopped
2 teaspoons jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
2 bay leaves
1 cup dried red kidney beans, soaked overnight and drained
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper

Directions:
Heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat. When the oil is hot, add the onions and jalapeños and sauté for 1 minute. Add the bay leaves, beans, and cilantro, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender, for about 2 hours. Stir in the salt and pepper and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve immediately, or store, refrigerated, in an air-tight container for 2 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low flame. Serves 2 to 4.