chrissnell/gist:70e23c6c399da76c098550705661681a

## gistfile1.txt
This is my pressure cooker adaptation of my mother-in-law's recipe.  She's a real-deal Cajun from "down on da bayou".  Contrary to popular belief, Cajun food is not red-hot spicy.  It's predominantly savory, owing to its French-Canadian heritage.  Our kids love this recipe and have been eating it since they were on solid food.

You'll need:

    1 pound red kidney beans
    1 onion
    1 stalk celery (optional)
    1 green bell pepper (optional)
    1 link of Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (like polish style).  You can use turkey but pork/beef is most authentic
    1-2 bay leafs
    1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
    Brown rice or long-grain white rice
    Crystal brand hot sauce

Rinse 1 pound of red kidney beans, then cover with 3-4" of water and soak overnight.  The next morning, dump the water and rinse them thoroughly.  This soaking step is optional.  If you're in a hurry, just use dry beans and bump up the cooking time by 15 minutes or so.

Finely chop one medium-sized yellow onion, a celery stalk (optional) and a green bell pepper (optional).  You want to chop them to about the size of your pinky nail.

In your pressure cooker, go a three or four times around the pot with canola oil and heat until shimmering.

Add the chopped onion and just brown the heck out of it.  Seriously, I always stop browning too soon.  My mother in law says that you're supposed to brown it to a chocolate color.   When it's about halfway browned, I add the celery and bell pepper to the pot for the rest of the browning.

Once the onions are brown, cut the heat and add 5 cups of water.  If I was doing this in the crock or regular pot, I'd add way more but since we're not losing any to steam, give is perfect.

Scrape up all of the burnt onion stuff off the bottom of the pan (gradoux, as the Cajuns call it) so that it mixes into the water.  This is good flavor!

Add the beans to the pot along with a couple of bay leaves and 1/4 tsp of ground cayenne pepper.  You can omit the pepper if you're spice-sensitive or increase it if you're like me.

Next, slice your link of sausage down its length and then cut the halves into 1/4" thick half-moon pieces.  Add to the Instant Pot and stir to combine with beans and water.

Set your Instant pot to 60 minutes on high.  Allow pressure to release naturally after the cooking is done.

Salt to taste.  You can eat it right away but if you refrigerate overnight before reheating and serving, it will taste even better.

Serve over brown rice or regular long-grain white rice if you prefer.

The Cajuns like to put Crystal brand hot sauce on top.  The regular kind (not the extra-hot).  It's very tangy.   Even my four year-old eats his RB&R this way.  I've never seen a bottle of Tabasco in a Cajun pantry.
https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Hot-Sauce-Louisianas-Pure/dp/B0005ZHPFI/
Louisiana Brand is also okay if that's all you can get.
	This is my pressure cooker adaptation of my mother-in-law's recipe. She's a real-deal Cajun from "down on da bayou". Contrary to popular belief, Cajun food is not red-hot spicy. It's predominantly savory, owing to its French-Canadian heritage. Our kids love this recipe and have been eating it since they were on solid food.

	You'll need:

	1 pound red kidney beans
	1 onion
	1 stalk celery (optional)
	1 green bell pepper (optional)
	1 link of Hillshire Farms smoked sausage (like polish style). You can use turkey but pork/beef is most authentic
	1-2 bay leafs
	1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
	Brown rice or long-grain white rice
	Crystal brand hot sauce

	Rinse 1 pound of red kidney beans, then cover with 3-4" of water and soak overnight. The next morning, dump the water and rinse them thoroughly. This soaking step is optional. If you're in a hurry, just use dry beans and bump up the cooking time by 15 minutes or so.

	Finely chop one medium-sized yellow onion, a celery stalk (optional) and a green bell pepper (optional). You want to chop them to about the size of your pinky nail.

	In your pressure cooker, go a three or four times around the pot with canola oil and heat until shimmering.

	Add the chopped onion and just brown the heck out of it. Seriously, I always stop browning too soon. My mother in law says that you're supposed to brown it to a chocolate color. When it's about halfway browned, I add the celery and bell pepper to the pot for the rest of the browning.

	Once the onions are brown, cut the heat and add 5 cups of water. If I was doing this in the crock or regular pot, I'd add way more but since we're not losing any to steam, give is perfect.

	Scrape up all of the burnt onion stuff off the bottom of the pan (gradoux, as the Cajuns call it) so that it mixes into the water. This is good flavor!

	Add the beans to the pot along with a couple of bay leaves and 1/4 tsp of ground cayenne pepper. You can omit the pepper if you're spice-sensitive or increase it if you're like me.

	Next, slice your link of sausage down its length and then cut the halves into 1/4" thick half-moon pieces. Add to the Instant Pot and stir to combine with beans and water.

	Set your Instant pot to 60 minutes on high. Allow pressure to release naturally after the cooking is done.

	Salt to taste. You can eat it right away but if you refrigerate overnight before reheating and serving, it will taste even better.

	Serve over brown rice or regular long-grain white rice if you prefer.

	The Cajuns like to put Crystal brand hot sauce on top. The regular kind (not the extra-hot). It's very tangy. Even my four year-old eats his RB&R this way. I've never seen a bottle of Tabasco in a Cajun pantry.
	https://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Hot-Sauce-Louisianas-Pure/dp/B0005ZHPFI/
	Louisiana Brand is also okay if that's all you can get.