South Texas Red Beans And Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. dried red beans
1 meaty ham bone
1/4 lb. salt pork
2 qt. water
1 (10 oz.) can whole tomatoes and green chiles (undrained), chopped
1 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. Creole seasoning
1/4 lb. smoked sausage, sliced
hot cooked rice

Preparation

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven.
Cover with water 2 inches above beans; let soak 8 hours.
Drain.
Add ham bone, salt pork and 2 quarts water.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
Remove and discard ham bone and salt pork.
Add tomatoes and next 8 ingredients; stir well.
Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add sausage and simmer, uncovered, an additional hour, stirring occasionally.
Remove and discard bay leaves. Serve over rice.
Yield:
10 to 12 servings.