Cajun Style Beans and Rice

Mardi Gras is a favorite of mine and so is Cajun food. This is my take on red beans and rice. It includes the "holy trinity" of Cajun cooking: onion, celery and green pepper. In this one, I used Farro for the rice because that's what I had in the pantry. So please enjoy and Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Ingredients
1 C farro or white rice
Water or broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1/2 C celery, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 green Bell pepper
1 can (14.5 oz) kidney beans
1 can (14.5 oz) tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
Salt & pepper, to taste
12 shrimp
Oil olive
1 tbsp blackening seasoning

Preparation
Prepare farro or rice according to the package. I used broth to enhance the flavor.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Saute onion until start to soften. Add celery and sautee for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another minute then add green pepper and saute for 3-5 minutes. Next add kidney beans, oregano, thyme, Cayenne, salt and pepper. Saute for another 2 minutes. Then add tomatoes and bay leaf. Bring up heat so tomatoes start to boil then bring heat down to a simmer. Let simmer gently for about 20-30 minutes. 

Brush shrimp with olive oil then dust with blackening seasoning. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add shrimp, turning half way through. This should only take a couple of minutes to complete.

To serve, place a scoop of farro or rice in bowls. Then pour bean stew over and top with shrimp. Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings