Spatula Diaries: Monday in Louisiana

“You know the history: Monday was wash day in old New Orleans and its rural environs, which prompted women to come up with a dish that could simmer away with little intervention,” writes 225 food blogger Maggie Heyn Richardson. “Plentiful red beans and rice fit the bill, and the tradition of serving this ubiquitous south Louisiana dish on Mondays (and throughout the week) holds yet today among chefs and home cooks. Few dishes are as inexpensive or easy to prepare, and it’s the first dish many young people master. Like chili, vegetable soup and other one-pot wonders, red beans and rice is unstructured and highly personal.” Find out what twists Maggie puts in her pot in this week’s Spatula Diaries.