Emeril’S New Orleans-Style Red Beans And Rice - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 smoked ham hock
12 ounces smoked sausage, cut cross-wise into 1/4 thick slices
1 lb dried red beans or 1 lb red kidney beans, rinsed, sorted, soaked overnight and drained
3 tablespoons garlic, chopped
10 cups water
steamed rice

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Saute the onions, bell pepper, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper and thyme for about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, ham and sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes
Add the beans, garlic and 10 cups water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmered uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours.
Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick.
After about 2 hours of initial cooking use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side of pot.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about another hour or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft.
Add more water if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy but not watery.
Remove the bay leaves and serve with steamed rice.