New Orleans Red Beans And Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. dried red kidney beans
2 qt. cold water
1 meaty hambone
1/2 lb. hot sausage, sliced thick
1 bunch scallions, including green tops
1 green pepper
2 stalks celery
3 medium sized onions
large pinch of ground thyme
4 bay leaves
cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce
salt and pepper
white rice (not instant)

Preparation

Rinse kidney beans twice.
Discard any that look bad.
Put beans in a big, heavy pot, at least 3-quart size (4-quart is better).
Add water, ham and sausage.
Set, uncovered, on a burner at medium heat.
While beans are soaking and warming, chop and add scallions, green pepper, celery and onions.
Then add thyme and bay leaves.
When mixture boils, reduce heat and cover.
Stir every 20 to 30 minutes for three hours.
Then with a wooden spoon, mash about 1/4 of the beans against the side of the pot.
If they don't mash easily, try again after half an hour.
Forty minutes after mashing the beans, taste and season with cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce.
(Don't use too much.
This is supposed to be delicious, but subtly flavored.)
Cook for another half hour while preparing rice.
Ladle beans and sauce over rice and serve.
It's hard to believe, but all the vegetables cook away to nothing.
The mashed beans thicken the sauce to a creamy consistency.
It's even more flavorful rewarmed after a night in the fridge.