Red Beans & Rice with Andouille

By WisconsinMike

Paul Prudhomme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. dry red kidney beans
• Water to cover the beans
• 6 large ham hocks (3 1/2 - 4 lbs)
• 16 C. water, in all
• 2 1/2 C. celery, finely chopped
• 2 C. onions, finely chopped
• 2 C. green bell peppers, finely chopped
• 5 bay leaves
• 2 t. white pepper
• 2 t. dried thyme leaves
• 1 1/2 t. garlic powder
• 1 1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
• 1 t. cayenne
• 1/2 t. black pepper
• 1 T. Tabaasco sauce
• 1 lb. Andouille sausage

Preparation

Step 1

Cover the beans with water 2 inches above beans. Let stand overnight. Drain just before using.

Place the ham hocks, 10 C. water, the celery, onions, bell pepper, bay leaves, and seasoning in a 5 1/2 qt. saucepan or large Dutch oven; stir well. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer until meat is fork tender, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove ham hocks from pan and set aside.

Add the drained beans and 4 C. water to the pan; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the remaining 2 C. water and simmer 30 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the andouille and continue simmering until the beans start breaking up, about 35 minutes, scraping the pan fairly often. (If the beans start to scorch, do not stir. Immediately remove from heat and change to a new pot without scraping and scorched beans into the mixture.) Add the ham hocks and cook 10 minutes more.

Serve immediately.

To serve, for each serving mound 3/4 C. rice in the middle of a large heated serving plate. Place a ham hock on one end of the plate and about 2 pieces of andouille on the other end. Spoon a generous 1 1/4 C. of the red beans around the rice.