Cookbook | Ingredients | Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 pound red beans
• 6 large ham hocks (3½ -4 pounds (1.5 kg to 2 kg))
• 2 cups finely chopped celery (1/2 stalk)
• 2 cups finely chopped onions (one medium)
• 2 cups finely chopped bell peppers (one medium)
• 5 Bay leaves (go real easy here, or you will taste it in your nose)
• 3 Tbls Paul Prudholme's Seafood Magic, or a similar spice
• 1 Tbls Tabasco Sauce or similar chili sauce
• 4 Cups cooked Rice (preferably converted)

Procedure

This takes 4+ hours, from the start of cooking

1. Cover beans with water, let stand over night. Drain.
2. Place ham hocks, celery, onions, bell peppers, Bay leaves, and seasoning into large sauce pan with 10 cups water.
3. Cover and bring to boil. Simmer until meat is fork tender, about an hour after boiling starts, stir occasionally.
4. Remove ham hocks from pan, set aside, skim fat from pan, discard.
5. Remove a significant fraction of liquid from pan, add drained beans, add back just enough liquid to cover beans. Simmer beans until they just begin to break up and liquid starts to become creamy, about 45 minutes. Stir frequently. Add back liquid as needed to keep beans covered.
6. If beans begin to scorch, do not stir, transfer mixture to another pan without scraping scorched beans into new pot.
7. Add ham hocks, cook 45 minutes more, SERVE IMMEDIATELY

To Serve

On to heated serving platter, mound 3/4 cup rice per serving at one end of platter, place ham hocks at other end, put 1 cup beans per serving in middle.