If you are a Red Beans & Rice fan…you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven with this recipe:
B.A.’S RED BEANS AND RICE
2 Lbs. dried red kidney beans
3 Lbs. meaty ham hocks (or ham bone
with lots of meat on it)
3 cups chopped onion
2 cups chopped celery (include leaves)
2 cups chopped bell pepper
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. thyme
1 Tbs. minced garlic
½ to 1 Tbs. Tony’s Cajun Seasoning
1 tsp white pepper
½ tsp. Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. black pepper
¾ tsp. oregano
¾ tsp. basil
½ to 1 TBS. salt (or to taste)
1 ½ lbs. smoked sausage, cut into pieces, sliced, or left in links
In a large pot, place the ham hocks in just enough water to cover. Cover pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and slowly simmer (with the lid on) until meat separates easily from the bones. This will take a couple of hours.
When tender, remove the ham hocks and reserve the liquid. (Refrigerate broth overnight to easily separate the fat from the broth, if desired). Pick meat from bones and reserve, discarding fat.
In a small amount of ham liquid, sauté vegetables until tender (about 20 min.) Add seasonings and enough ham broth to cover vegetables and simmer about an hour. (Save any broth you may have to use later if you need more…it’s better than the bean liquid to use if you want more juice in your finished stuff).
Meanwhile, rinse and sort beans and put in another large pot (8 qt. is just about right) with enough cold water to cover plus two or three inches. Cover, bring to a boil, boil one minute, remove from heat and let soak for one hour. (Check to be sure they don’t absorb all the liquid and dry out… you may need to add a little more boiling water if they get too dry.)
After the veggies have cooked and the beans have soaked (in separate pots) pour off the bean juice and reserve it, just in case you need more liquid later and have run out of broth. Combine the beans and the veggies in one pot and cook until the beans are almost tender, adjusting the liquid if necessary. (This should take about 1 ½ hrs.) When the beans are almost tender add the reserved ham and the sausage and continue cooking until the beans are as tender as you like. (Check the seasoning, you might want more salt or garlic or whatever).
Notes:
• You can cook more beans on the side and mash them up and add to the broth to thicken it up some…or, you can add a couple Tbs. cornstarch dissolved in a little water.
• These amounts are all adjustable…sometimes I use 3 lbs. of beans and adjust everything accordingly. Or you can cut everything in half if you don’t want so much. Two lbs. of beans and all the liquid and other stuff fits comfortably in an eight-quart pot.