Red Beans and Rice With Smoked Sausage- New Orleans Style

This is a hearty, spicy version of New Orleans' traditional favorite. Serve with chunks of buttered cornbread. Originally from a September 1983 issue of Bon Apetit in the R.S.V.P. Letters to the Editor section. The recipe was requested from The Gumbo Shop restaurant in New Orleans.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 25 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  lb  dried red beans, rinsed and sorted
• 1 1⁄2 lbs  good-quality smoked sausage, cut into chunks
• 1⁄2 lb smoked ham hocks or 1⁄2 lb ham shanks
• 1  large onion, diced
• 1  green pepper, seeded, deveined and diced
• 1  stalk celery, diced
• 1  garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
• 1  teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon sage
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
•  salt
• 3 -4  cups  freshly cooked rice
•  hot sauce

Directions

1. Place beans in Dutch oven and cover generously with water; let soak 30 minutes.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to beans except salt, rice, and hot sauce.
3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
4. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until beans are tender, adding more water if necessary, about 2 1/2 hours.
5. Add salt to taste.
6. Discard ham bones after cutting any meat from them into bite-sized pieces; return meat to pot.
7. Remove about 1/2 cup of beans from mixture and mash to a paste.
8. Return mashed beans to pot and stir through.
9. Simmer 15 more minutes.
10. Serve hot over rice: pass hot sauce, if desired.