Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb small red beans or light red kidneys, picked of debris, and soaked overnight
  • 2 cups onion, diced
  • 1 cup bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup celery, diced
  • 1 tbsp garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp hot sauce (Crystal, Louisiana brand, or Tabasco)
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1 lb smoked sausage, cut into coins
  • 2 ham hocks
  • \~2 quarts water

Directions:

  1. Sort beans and remove any debris. Rinse and soak overnight
  2. In a heated dutch oven, sweat the onion, bell peppers, and celery until translucent with a pinch of salt.
  3. Add garlic, saute 1 minute more
  4. Add 1q of water to deglaze, stir.
  5. Add thyme, black pepper, bay leaves, ham hocks, hot sauce beans, sausage, and the rest of the water or until its about an inch above the beans
  6. Simmer 2-4 hours until beans reach desired consistency. Mash up beans with the back of a spoon to speed this along. Remove ham hocks.
  7. Serve over rice. Add all or any of scallions, chili powder, more sausage, hot sauce. Corn bread is nice on the side as well.