Bourbon Street Andouille White Bean Chili

This chili walks straight out of a New Orleans kitchen with attitude to spare. Smoky andouille sausage — the backbone of Cajun cooking — gets browned until caramelized, then simmered with creamy white navy beans in a broth built on the holy trinity of onion, celery, and garlic and a heavy hand of Cajun seasoning. A splash of bourbon stirred in at the end adds a warm, oaky sweetness that rounds out the spice, and hot sauce at the table takes it wherever you want to go. It's brothy, bold, and unapologetically Louisiana — the kind of bowl that warms you from the inside out and tastes like Mardi Gras season regardless of the calendar.

Corn muffins or crusty bread and plenty of hot sauce are the New Orleans way; a scoop over rice makes it heartier.

Andouille is the soul here — smoked kielbasa is the closest sub if you can't find it, plus extra Cajun seasoning. Watch the salt, since andouille and Cajun blends are both salty. A little extra bourbon never hurt anybody.