Red Beans and Sausage

Inspired by a local eatery called Yats, I have been trying to perfect my red beans and smoked sausage recipe for a little over a year.  Their red beans and smoked sausage has long been a favorite of mine.  Now, I haven't recreated Yats' dish, but I think I have finally made something worth writing about.  With a combination of andouille sausage from Indy's best local meatery, Smoking Goose, fresh thyme and oregano from my garden, and the addition of some clove and nutmeg, I was licking my bowl clean and going back for more.  This recipe made enough for a dinner for two with leftovers.

Red Beans and Sausage:
1/2 of a whole Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick semicircles (grocery store kielbasa or smoked sausage would do in a pinch)
1 small onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped (used green but red or orange would be better)
1 small stalk of celery, chopped (didn't actually have so I used a sprinkle of celery seed)
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
few tablespoons of oil
2ish cups of chicken broth (or veggie)
1ish tablespoon of flour
2 cans of kidney or other red beans (any beans would do, really)
Seasonings, done to taste:
Paprika (sweet or ideally smoked sweet)
Cayenne
Cumin
Chipotle Chili Powder (for a bit of heat and smoky flavor, be careful with this, because it is often much hotter than regular chili powder and can make something too spicy if you add too much)
Coriander
1 Bay Leaf
fresh oregano and thyme, chopped fine (or about a teaspoon each of dried)
Hot Sauce (few dashes, used Franks Red Hot)
Ground Clove (just a little bit)
Ground Nutmeg (or allspice or cardamon and just a tiny bit)
Salt (actually, I don't think I added any, because the broth and sausage had enough for my taste)
Black Pepper

1. Brown sausage in enough oil to cover the bottom of a large pot.
2. Add onions, pepper and celery stir until the vegetables have sweated down a bit.  Add the garlic and let the mixture cook for no more than another minute.
3. Add enough flour to soak up any extra oil in the pan, about a tablespoon or so.  I didn't measure, I just sprinkled until the oil looked mostly soaked up and a fine coating of flour formed on the bottom of the pan.  Let this cook for an additional 30 seconds or so to let the flour cook.  (Don't let to go too long because once garlic is added to a hot pan, you have to remove the food from the pan or add liquid within about 2 minutes or the garlic will get burnt and bitter.)
4. Add broth and beans and let come to a simmer again.
5. Add seasonings and let simmer on low heat, partially covered and stirring occasionally, until all the vegetables are tender and the broth has thickened (about 20-30 minutes).  Add a little water if it is too thick or let simmer a little more uncovered on med/high heat if too runny.
6. Serve over rice.

Some notes on the seasonings: I hardly ever measure seasonings when I am cooking. I added several good sized dashes of paprika, about a pinch of cayenne (because I was almost out or else I would have added a bit more), about 4 or 5 dashes of cumin, 6-8 dashes of the chili powder, 7 or 8 dashes of hot sauce and very small amounts of freshly ground coriander, clove and nutmeg.  I keep my coriander and cloves and other whole spices in pepper mills so I can just grab them and add a few twists into a recipe.  My advice is to add each of these very sparingly, taste and then add a tiny bit at a time until you can just barely taste each one among all the other spices.  Also, if you prefer to make it more spicy, add more of the cayenne, chipotle, cumin and hot sauce.