Since our COVID isolation, Adrien and I have been sharing cooking duties more frequently. For us, it’s a fun way to cook together or to be on your own. The Chef comes up with the meal and the sous chef either assists or enjoys an adult beverage. Guess which was my role?

This recipe was one that Adrien prepped for us, and it is delicious. And vegan. Sorry Andouille fans – no sausage here, just plenty of great flavors. We cut the recipe in half (the original serves 6) , and still had plenty for four main course servings.

Originally found in the New York Times Food section, the recipe directions include things such as garlic powder and onion powder. I’ve included them in the ingredient list, but we did not use either as we prefer to not used dried powder flavorings unless the fresh is unavailable. Also, even with a longer cooking time the beans were still a bit more firm than we would have liked. So, up the cooking time in the pressure cooker or do as one of the recipe commenters suggests: soak the beans.

Vegan Pressure Cooker Red Beans and Rice from Sarah DiGregorio, NYTimes

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 heaping tablespoon white or yellow miso paste
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon onion powder (did not use)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder (did not use)
• ½ to 1 teaspoon ground cayenne, plus more to taste
• ½ teaspoon ground sage (optional)
• 1 pound dried red kidney beans (no need to soak – however, that is something I would do on a repeat)
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
•  Cooked rice, for serving
•  Sliced scallions, for serving
•  Louisiana-style hot sauce, for serving

Method

1. Turn on the sauté setting of a 6- to 8-quart electric pressure cooker and heat the oil. Add the onion, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until limp and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Add the celery and bell pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic, miso paste, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne and sage (if using). Grind in a generous amount of black pepper and add 3/4 teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine all the ingredients, then turn off the sauté setting.
3. Add the beans, bay leaves, thyme and 5 1/2 cups water. Scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits. Cook on high pressure until the beans are creamy, 50 minutes to 1 hour (we felt this time wasn’t long enough – adjust accordingly OR presoak the beans).
4. Turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to reduce naturally for 10 minutes, then release the remaining pressure manually and open the lid.
5. Add the soy sauce, and season to taste with salt and cayenne. Using a fork, mash some of the beans against the side of the pressure cooker to make the mixture creamy. It will continue to thicken as it sits, or you can turn on the sauté setting and let the mixture bubble for a few minutes to thicken.
6. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Top the beans with hot cooked rice and scallions; serve with hot sauce.