Creole Red Beans and Rice

Start with dry red beans. Soak them overnight. Gather up all your hot spices, a few veggies, ham, a ham bone, and some great sausage, then get to work on this great dish. Allow three hours for the tastes to combine and steep together into a luscious, hot meaty bean dish. Then whip up some rice to mix with it, and you've got a good Louisiana traditional supper that will bring tears to your eyes. (Well, it's hot, isn't it?)

• 1 pound dried red beans
• 1 ham bone
• 8 to 10 cups water
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 pound ham, diced
• 1/2 pound hot sausage, sliced
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage, sliced
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 2 cups rice, cooked

Sort through beans and soak overnight. Wash beans after soaking.

Place the ham bone, water, tomato sauce, garlic salt, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and beans in a large pot. Cook, uncovered, over low heat.

In a skillet, sauté the ham and sausage until the grease is rendered. Transfer the ham and sausage to the bean pot. Add the celery, onion, and garlic to the grease in the skillet; sauté until soft. Pour this mixture into the bean pot.

Add the bay leaves, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for approximately 3 hours or until the beans are soft and creamy. Keep an eye on it while it cooks, and add more water if necessary.

Remove the ham bone, leaving any meat in the pot. Remove the bay leaves and add the parsley.

Serve over rice.

Serves 6 to 8.

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